It's complicated
by banshee-hime
Summary: Kiba figured he'd become a distinguished shinobi and marry a nice girl from Konoha in order to continue his clan. He'd never imagined that a simple old Chūnin Exam would lead him in the path of a deadly kunoichi. She was a lily of the valley and he knew enough about the flower - you stayed away. Unfortunately, she'd already stopped his heart. Kiba/OC main
1. Chapter 1

**So, here is a baby of mine.**

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 **Out of everything I've ever written, I believe that I've spent the most time on my Naruto OCs. After all, I'm from the generation which grew up with this anime. So, as this has been a story which was voted as the second most sought-after of my new work, I've decided to put a chapter up and see how it goes.**

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 **Official note: I'm looking for a beta to go over the characters, their backgrounds and the work I have written so far with me. If there are any takers, feel free to let me know.**

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 **About the story:**

 **Timeline: Beginning of the original Naruto show**

 **Pairing: Kiba/OC as main**

 **Rating: T**

 **Updates: Slow**

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 **Enjoy the ride**

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 **Chapter 1: The marshes called home**

In retrospect, I'd had a great life.

I suppose I should be grateful, to be able to say something like that. After all, not many shinobi can connect the words 'great' and 'life'. Most of them don't even live long enough to get to the point when they think about their life. No. The life of a shinobi normally goes somewhat like this: Tragic childhood, harsh training, harsher missions, brutal orders, quick marriage, kids, death. And this is a lucky shinobi's life that I'm telling you about. So, yes, I'd had one hell of a good ride.

I was born on a strangely warm day of October, and my mother always told me how she remembered hearing crickets all through her labor and then silence once that last of her screams died down, just before I took my first breath and cried. She'd given me my name, Mei, a sprout, then. It was a good name, my grandmother had always said. A very good name.

The early years of my life were filled with laughter, running, and joy. My parents traveled all over the country with a caravan, living out of a wagon. I remember the sunny days, the freezing winters and the rainy seasons as they changed and I aged without many worries in the world. I can still recall the scent of spring, a combination of fresh grass, wildflowers and pure sunlight, my home. If you asked me to imagine paradise, I would direct you to those days. After all, they were like a picture from a fairy tale book, one of those my father often read to me.

My father. Well, my father was a difficult topic. He was a man of principles who believed in good education and healthy lifestyle more than anything. Yet, there was a certain boyishness always around him. An adventurer's spirit. He would be serious often, when he consulted with the leaders of the caravan on important matters, and smiling lopsidedly at my mother the next, when he was planning yet another escapade into the unknown wilderness.

I suppose that that was the thing which drew my mother to him. My mother came from an island in Mizu no Kuni, a dark and damp place, as she described it. Her parents were healers, closely tied to the shinobi nation, and they were widely known for their policy of accepting any patient of any nation into their Temple. My mother had grown up there, in the mist, surrounded by water on all four sides, the furthest thing which she could see on the horizon (which wasn't too far due to the mist) being the next island over.

Needless to say, she'd been eager to throw away the bloody apron and bandages in favor of following my father on his journey across the world. She'd found another use for her skilled, surgical fingers: embroidery. Even now, I can remember all the times when the caravan would travel and my mother would be sitting on the edge of our wagon, humming a tune to herself and pushing the needle in and out of a new project.

Alas, all good things must come to an end.

It was after my fourth birthday, I'm not sure exactly when, that the sickness spread through the caravan. Lung flu, they'd called it. I remember the way my mother had panicked. I remember the fear in her eyes as she begged my father to split our wagon away from the caravan. I will never be able to forget the way her hands had squeezed at the fabric of my father's tunic, pulling it so hard that I thought it would rip the delicate embroidery she'd been sewing there in half. I still sometimes dream of the way she'd sobbed later, holding me close, in our bed.

I'd never seen my mother scared before that day.

My father hadn't allowed us to split from the caravan. He was the second son of the leader, the owner. He needed to stay and to fulfill his duty. There were rules about illness. Besides, a caravan always stays together.

It took a week for most of the elderly and children to get sick. And yet another for the animals to begin dying. I buried my first pet, a small stray dog I'd picked up, on the side of the road when we stopped. His name had been Jun. Then, it wasn't just dogs and goats anymore. There were fewer and fewer friendly old ladies telling stories or teaching you to read someone's future from their hands sitting by the fires at night. There were fewer babies crying at night, waking up the new parents. There were fewer children kicking and tossing a rag ball around the wagons.

I met Death when I turned five.

The sickness stayed with the caravan for months, and we couldn't shake it off. When I coughed for the very first time, my mother had had enough. She'd packed her belongings in a single bag and grabbed me, telling my father that he could choose to follow her or his duty. He'd chosen her.

By the time we arrived to Mizu no Kuni, I was delirious. I was sweaty, fading in and out of consciousness, and everything hurt. I'd beg for my mother, for my father, for Jun, the adorable mutt, and anything else. Anything for the pain to stop. I remember that I'd coughed so many times. It felt like I was drowning at some points. And at others, like I'd never drunk water in my life.

I awoke one day, to the gentle rocking of a boat, surrounded by mist. And then, I knew that we'd come to my mother's homeland. It was just as she'd described. Dark, gloomy and eerie in a way. Like Death. My mother had held me close, murmuring words of reassurance, as the helmsman with a red cap (like a lantern in the mist) pushed the small gondola boat seemingly into nowhere. Then, slowly, a tall, dark shape had risen from the white and grey mist, like a stern old man looking down on you, scolding you, and I knew: we'd arrived.

Teichi no Shima looked like Hell.

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The alarm blared in the room, but the bed was already empty. The petite girl stumbled out of the adjacent bathroom, hurrying to press the button on the top of the small blue machine, to keep it quiet. As soon as the room was quiet once more, except the subtle sounds of the world waking up outside, she listened for a second, checking if anyone else had been awoken in the house.

Complete silence.

The girl smiled to herself and turned around, tracing her wet footprints back to the bathroom. She would need to wipe those as soon as she finished her bath.

It was five in the morning on Teichi no Shima, a small island located in Mizu no Kuni. It would've been a beautiful, vacation-worthy place, with its indigenous species and beautiful sceneries, if it had not been located so close to the Numa no Kuni. This meant that the little island was surrounded by thick marshes, covered in swamp gas and grey mist, all year round. It was only if you climbed all the way to the top of the sole mountain, far above the Shitchi Temple, that you could see above the mist.

And that brings us to where this young, early rising, girl lived. Shitchi Temple. Known for its impressive healer and owner, the traditionally built structure was located on the eastern side of the mountain, nestled safely between a steep cliff and its waterfall and a forest full of poisonous insects and amphibians. There weren't many who made the trip to the Temple, but those who did were in dire need of medical attention. It was widely known that everyone was welcome in this house of healing, regardless of their nationality or allegiance, and since the Island was located near the border of Numa no Kuni, most government officials didn't bother with extraction. Long story short, it was a sanctuary.

The adjacent bathroom door opened once more, revealing the petite girl, this time dressed in her white undergarments. She had her long hair swept up in a towel turban as she avoided the puddles that she had created earlier. She quickly grabbed a simple dress from her wardrobe, one that her grandmother would definitely disapprove of for its shortness, and slid it over her head. She then grabbed the rag from the bathroom and quickly mopped up the water from her bedroom floor. After her work was done, she smiled and sighed, happy with the results.

She walked about her simple room, collecting different things and packing them into her bag as she got ready to leave. At some point, she released her wet hair, rubbing it carefully with the towel and then leaving it to air-dry. Unfortunately, due to the humidity of the region, she knew that she would have to blow-dry it in the end. It took her around thirty minutes to get everything that she needed together, and she was about to leave her room when she stopped in the doorway. Quickly, the petite girl turned around, rushing to her desk. She opened the middle drawer and took out a green, hardcover notebook stuffing it into her beige bag as well. Then, she left.

The hallway outside of her room was lit with small lanterns placed symmetrically on each side of the path, where old-fashioned candles used to be just last year. Her grandmother and grandfather had always loved history and had kept the old Temple as close to its original form as it had been safe to do. Yet, when a fire had broken out due to one of the candle flames catching the wooden wall, the owners of the old home had decided to take their granddaughter's advice and introduce electricity to the large construction. Though, her grandmother still loved using a candle to light her way when she was up late. And the girl couldn't deny her that.

She navigated the winding halls of the Temple easily in the dim lighting, as she knew them by heart. It had been seven years since she'd come to live there, after all. And in that time, she'd learnt to love everything about the marshy land, from the stale air, heavy with fog, to the poisonous insects and amphibians, flying and jumping about. It was a strange place, Shitchi Temple, as you felt like you were in another world entirely while you were there. You would slowly forget the sunshine on your skin directly, and the only way you could imagine the sun was through the thick fog surrounding the island and the mountain on it. The warm, summer breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers wouldn't even cross your mind, instead, you would think of the cool, moist shifting of the mist, telling you that something was moving nearby, watching its prey silently. Yet, the young girl had learnt to love the damp and dark corner of the world, mostly for the people who lived there. If there was one thing which this early-riser did _not_ lack, it was love.

She reached the kitchen and the dining room, a broad space separated by a simple sliding door, normally left open. Her beige shoulder beg made a muffled thumping sound when she lowered it to the floor in order to make some breakfast. It was a few minutes later, when the second helping of bacon was sizzling on the hot pan, that silent footsteps alerted her to a newcomer.

"Good morning, Mei-chan." A female voice softly greeted and soon, its owner stepped behind the counter and into the kitchenette. "Would you like some help?" It was a fairly tall girl, if you compared her to the petite Mei. She wore a traditional yukata, perfectly tied together without a single wrinkle in the material. If you asked Mei, she was often jealous of the other girl's skill. That was why Mei had forgone wearing the traditional garb as soon as she'd began commuting – it would get terribly wrinkled.

The only thing on the traditionally garbed girl which seemed wild was her hair. It was a vibrant red and it lay in untamable curls around her pale face, cascading down her shoulders. She had tried everything with it, Mei knew, from straightening it with product to tying it in a tight bun on top of her head. Yet, there was always at least one rebellious curl which escaped onto her face or neck.

"Of course." The petite girl, Mei, replied with an easy smile. "Could you get the eggs ready for me?"

"Sure." The other girl replied and then proceeded to rummage about the drawers, her curls bouncing, looking for everything she needed.

"Did you have a long night, Kaede?" Mei asked conversationally, flipping the bacon and then placing it on the plate where the rest of it was. The other girl, Kaede, sighed, coming closer with a bowl. She was mixing the eggs inside it already with a quick motion of her wrist.

"There were some newcomers last week." She explained in a tired tone. "There was a battle between two smaller shinobi clans in their area. The ones that managed to make the journey have been really touch-and-go." She turned the bowl over, spilling the eggs into Mei's awaiting pan. "And with your Grandfather on one of his trips, we've been shorthanded and really swamped."

Mei couldn't suppress the small chuckle at the unintentional pun, which caused the other girl to let out a small laugh, as well. The eggs were flipped a couple of times before finding their way onto a plate, as well. And then, the two girls began setting up the dining table for three people with practiced ease.

"I'm sorry that I'm not much help." Mei said as she handed the plates from the cupboard to her friend. "It's just, with both school and missions, I don't have much time for individual study, much less helping out."

"It's alright, Mei-chan." Kaede replied. "I completely understand the situation. Though, I do think that your Grandmother should get another pair of hands to help out on a daily basis. Ever since you started the Academy we've been terribly busy."

"Then perhaps we shall hire someone." An old, yet firm voice answered from behind the girls and Kaede squinted at being caught.

"Forgive me, sensei." She immediately apologized. "I meant no offense." Mei's grandmother laughed an easy chuckle. She was a short woman, like her granddaughter, with a wiry frame hardened by her lifestyle in the mountains. Her hair had gone white in age, still completely straight as the day she was born, and it fell down her back in a long, intricate braid. Mei had always wished to have hair like her grandmother, perfectly straight and terribly long. Alas, hers always seemed as if it was made from freshly collected hay.

"Dear girl, there was none taken." Her slender hand came up to Kaede's cheek, giving it a loving caress. "What would I do if I didn't have the two of you to keep me young?" Then, the old healer grabbed the last of the plates with food with a swish of her long robes, helping the two girls. "So, shall we eat? No good morning starts without a breakfast!"

"Of course, grandma."

"Yes, sensei." The two chorused and then, the small family seated themselves at the dining table. Mei dug into her meal, savoring the taste. She had become closely acquainted with both of her teammates' cooking in the last two years, which had caused her to sorely miss the home cooking at the Shitchi Temple. Kaede chuckled into her glass of milk before speaking up.

"You _do_ know that the food won't run away, don't you, Mei-chan?" The petite teen had to struggle to swallow her huge bite before answering, though.

"It just might." She smirked. Then, Mei proceeded to shovel the eggs and bacon into her mouth as quickly as she could. Finally, she drank her milk and jumped up from her seat. "Thank you for the meal!" Mei reached to gather her dishes, but her grandmother waved her away.

"Don't worry, Mei, dear, Kaede and I will clean up. You hurry up and catch your ferry." The old woman smiled, her warm eyes twinkling.

"Thank you, grandma." And the teen ran to her room once more. By the time she was back, the dining table had been cleaned and Kaede was making food for their patients while her grandmother was placing something in Mei's bag.

"There you are." The old healer immediately noticed her, without even looking up. "Would you come here, Mei, dear?" Then, the woman made her turn around before undoing her hair from the tight bun it had been in. "Let's get this sorted before you leave, shall we?" And the grandmother started braiding her granddaughter's long hair into a braid, similar to her own, yet much thicker. "You have your father's, strong hair." She lovingly said as she was working her skilled fingers through the knots.

"You mean my father's bushy hair?" Mei laughed, turning around when her grandmother tapped her shoulder. She took her beige bag when her guardian offered it to her with a smile still on her face.

"Take care, my young troublemaker." Her grandmother pulled her in with a gentle tug, kissing the crown of her head lovingly. "Be careful in the marshes and remember to stay hydrated." With that, the healer pushed Mei towards the door. "Off with you, young pupil. Go learn your kunoichi skills."

"Bye!" And Mei flew out the door with a final wave to her grandmother and Kaede. The outside air greeted her with a stifling punch to her lungs. But, after one deep breath, the petite girl pushed on. She stepped off the wooden patio and into her sandals, still in protective socks, carefully clipping the straps on properly. She'd once forgotten to do so and fallen into a pond during a mission. Since then, she was cautious. Soon after Mei left the patio, after she passed through a small amount of what could be called a garden around the Temple, she came upon a series of narrow, steep stone steps. Without much thought, she ran down them.

She followed the path as it wound left and right, not wanting to lose even more time on a shortcut. You see, the Shitchi Temple was surrounded by the marsh forest. Any shortcut would mean extra caution to everything you stepped on or accidentally brushed against. The forest was a wide area covered in thick vegetation with numerous poisonous species. Mei's grandmother had discovered that a number of the deadly plants could be used as medicine, as well. _If the seed was a poison the leaf was an antidote_ , the healer would often say. She'd started her practice as a medicine woman in that very area, using the indigenous plans to make a unique school of poisons and antidotes. Combined with her knowledge of the human body, from her days as a kunoichi, Mei's grandmother had soon built a reputation for her miracle ways.

After all, no one in the village below the Shitchi Temple had ever seen a clawfish bite be cured. And yet, Mei's grandmother had managed the feat somehow. Which brings us to the denizens of the marsh. Besides the Shitchi Temple on the very top of the tall mountain, there was also a small village nestled at the bottom of the cliff. It was built partially on the muddy terrain of the island and mostly on the man-made platforms of planks which stood on numerous tall stilts and pillars that sank into the murky swamp water. It was almost like a lazy spider, swaying back and forth with every tide on its long legs.

Mei's sandals clattered against the planks as she finally reached the village. The stone steps made it almost all the way from the Temple to the platform, but she always had that last jump, over a bit of mud, to make, so that her sandals wouldn't be ruined. Not only that, but wearing sandals here meant asking for one of the locals, the venomous creatures, to bite you, even if you had protective socks on.

The young kunoichi rushed across the planks, leaving them to clatter together behind her, and she almost flew across the numerous bridges without any handrails except a thin, old rope, heading for the docks. If she missed her ferry, it would be a couple more hours of waiting, and then, she wouldn't be able to make it to the meeting with her team on time. There weren't that many people around at these hours of the morning and she managed to reach the docks without any delays.

Though, fortune wasn't on her side that day, as she finally came to the edge of the boardwalk, only to see the gangplank gone. Though, the gondola wasn't that far away, as it had obviously recently pushed off.

"Jirō-ossan!" The kunoichi yelled, making the helmsman in the red cap turn around. She tightened the grip on the strap of her beige bag and moved a few steps back. Mei knew that she had the attention of the few fishermen who were preparing for their morning trip, but she ignored them, even when they began shouting at her to stop. With a deep breath and a resolve not to fall into the water of the marshes, as that was suicide, the girl gave a short sprint.

As her feet pushed off the boardwalk she pushed a bit of chakra into the tips of her toes, giving herself an extra boost. And then, she was flying for a moment. Jirō's red cap shone like a lighthouse in the misty swamp and Mei aimed towards it. She heard his surprised yelp just as her sandals made contact with the back edge of the gondola, swaying it horribly. However, she'd already glued herself to the wood with her chakra and was safe from the venomous clawfish that lived in the marshes.

"Mei-chan!" The old helmsman exclaimed in a slightly irritated tone. "That was dangerous!" Jirō was a wrinkly, aged man, standing all the way at the back of the boat, holding a long, wooden oar. He was dressed in dirty pants that came to his knees, showing the protruding veins and hanging skin on his calves, along with a shirt that was once white, but now smeared with the grime and mud from the boat. On his head was a red cap, hanging on the side much like a Santa Claus', which signaled that he was a helmsman. "Ye know that ye shouldn't jump onto the gondola. Ye could hurt yerself and the other passengers." And the old man did not mean by a broken bone.

"I'm sorry, Jirō-ossan, it won't happen again." Apologized the girl over the grumbling of the other passengers who had been shaken by the sudden turbulence. However, both the helmsman and the kunoichi knew there would certainly be a repeat of that spectacle. Mei was, simply, often late. It was a bad habit of hers, one that she'd been trying to shake off for quite some time. Yet, despite her frequent tardiness, she'd never found herself not completing her task.

"If you fall over, a clawfish might catch ye, Mei-chan." Chided the old helmsman as the kunoichi settled down near him. "Have I told ye of the time I was manning the westchime pass? When a clawfish nearly took me leg off!" Jirō leaned over, showing an old wound on his leg. "T'was as big as me boat!" Mei nodded, encouraging him to tell her the story again, despite the collective groaning of the other passengers. True, the kunoichi could tell that the tale was mostly fiction. She knew that the old, well-healed wound on the man's leg had been from a boating accident, where he'd clipped himself with his own gutting fishknife. She could tell that her grandmother had treated it, after all. But, regardless, she enjoyed the tales the old helmsman spun about the dangers lurking in the dark marshes around the island. After all, nobody could certainly tell you if they were true or not.

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 **That's all for now! I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello to all and welcome to another chapter of 'It's complicated'!**

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 **Thanks to all who have favorited and put this story into their alerts! I hope that you keep enjoying it.  
Special thanks to Akagami Hime Chan who left me a wonderful review! I look forward to reading more of your thoughts :D**

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 **As always, I'm still looking for a Beta. Gimmie a holler if you're interested.**

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 **Chapter 2: The well-balanced team**

Mei didn't sleep that night. She almost never slept when traveling alone. However, she especially stayed awake during her commute from the Temple to Kirigakure. The roads were dangerous, sure enough, but not as much as the Teichi no Shima itself. It was something else which kept her awake, both in fear and anticipation.

Kirigakure was close. While the Mizukage might have taken steps which would be able to disprove their infamous name as the Chigiri no Sato, they were merely a front. And, she could feel it in her bones. She could feel the tension between the castes of the village pressing against each other, like a thin string, waiting to snap. Sooner or later, Mei knew, the shaky balance would break.

Her road took her by ferry first. After leaving the relative safety of Jirō's boat, she took the Sakushi no Michi, the Path of Illusion. It was a tricky road which took one over a swampy terrain, through the mist, where finding your footing was troublesome. It was fairly common for people to never leave the road after straying there. Instead, civilians preferred going by the Mizukage's highway, which took longer, but was safer.

Sakushi no Michi led Mei across the next island in record time. After it, she rode the ferryboat two more times, with a layover in the same port, and then she was on the Mainland. Usually, this trip took the longer part of the day for Mei. Once she reached the last island of her trip, she simply had to follow the main road, the continuation of the Mizukage's highway, commonly known among the locals as the Blood Road. Why? Well, let's just say that finding a body on the side of that road was a common occurrence, despite the new Headhunt law, which forbade needless bloodshed. Unfortunately, the Mainland that surrounded Kirigakure had been in the shadows of the bloodthirsty ways of the village for too long. Crime, here, was as common as merchants near other villages. So, Mei didn't sleep. Instead, she pushed herself for twenty-four hours without rest before she arrived at the gates of the hidden village.

There were no guards on the outside, as always. Kirigakure had no need for them. If you somehow managed to find it in the thick mist of the Mainland, you were free to come in and test your strength against the residents. If you had a death wish, that is. Kirigakure had no children living inside the walls. The number of civilians was low and most of them looked like ghosts in the thick fog, making you startle if you saw one. But, after years of attending the Academy and, later on, shinobi training in the village, Mei was used to the pale faces which greeted her.

She entered through the gigantic gates, mist rolling lazily around her feet, making them damp in the sandals which she preferred. She headed straight, wanting to reach the usual meeting place without much trouble. Mei could take care of herself. She knew that. But, was there any need to stir up trouble? She preferred going about her business unnoticed. After all, her status as a person from Teichi no Shima already had her labeled as an outsider and a country bumpkin. She wanted no more attention to her name.

Despite the early hour of the morning, the door to her favorite shop opened easily under her hand, without sound. She came in, the warm light making her seem less like a ghost from the mist and more like a human. The owner, an attractive lady in her thirties, looked up from behind the counter.

"Good morning." She greeted with a plastered smile that didn't seem overly honest. In another universe, with different circumstances, Mei supposed that the owner could've been a real beauty. But, much like Mei herself, the mist had made the lady pale and her dark, long hair seemed washed out. Coupled with the tired eyes with dark bags under them told Mei that the situation in the village was worse than when she'd left the week before last.

"Good morning, ma'am." At the familiar voice the owner's smile actually reached her eyes, making her look older than she was. "A table for four, if it isn't too much trouble?"

"Not at all. We're open." The owner replied. "Take the one in the corner and I'll get started on the tea."

"Mint, please." Mei requested before the owner could turn to the stove. Next, the young kunoichi settled herself at the usual table and stretched out her legs. They were tired and sore from her journey. In no time, with the scent of mint tea brewing and the warmth of breakfast being prepared, Mei fell asleep in the comfortable seat.

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Mei awoke to the chatter of familiar voices. Well, more like to a familiar tone of an argument between her two teammates. She opened her eyes, blinked the sleep away and found them sitting at her table, one next to her and the other across.

"Even if they had a JoninJōnin, which isn't possible due to the problem level, the mission strategy would be a success. The diversion idea is flawless and the team gets out with a single casualty and the objective of the task." The boy sitting across from her spoke in his usual, calm tone. He was smiling, eyes shut in a way which made you think that he was always scheming. His hitai-ate was tied around his head, the traditional way, on his forehead, a few strands of his dark, spikey hair spilling over it. He wore tight things in shades of grey, black and purple, fortified with protective pinstriped underclothing, along with a sky-blue scarf around his neck. Altogether, when you spotted him in the street, he hid his strength and knowledge beyond his years perfectly with a boyish look. This was Tsubaki Sentarō, more commonly known as Sen-chan, the calculating leader of their three-man cell.

"Pft. Ridiculous." The pillow which Mei was leaning on rumbled. She realized that she was probably nestled on her teammate's shoulder. "There's no need for a distraction. Just a strong frontal attack. Kill them all as quickly as possible and you've got a completed mission with no casualties whatsoever."

By the rumbling low tone of his voice, which had broken last year, she knew who was pretending to be her pillow. He was a broad-shouldered, lean young man, with eyes as blue as the clear sky on a summer day, as Mei remembers it from her time with her parents. His hands were strong and fingers slim, showing an attractive number of veins against the pale skin. His hair was always a bit too long, to his shoulders, and his blond bangs fell into his eyes in strands. His hitai-ate hung around his neck and he usually wore clothes in red and grey tones, mostly forgoing the pinstriped material. He liked to say that he needed no protection, instead wearing a snug, cotton and fishnet, shirt under his baggy hoodie. Most people, though, remembered him by the katana which was always strapped to his back, a deadly blade in a beautiful decorate black sheath, called Sakurahime. This was the second member of Mei's team, the loose cannon who loved bloodshed a bit too much for anybody's liking, Norio.

"You'd get the whole team killed." Smirked Tsubaki, lowering his face towards his cup as he sipped his drink. He ignored the grumbling retort from his teammate with a clearly practiced, completely relaxed face. He didn't even flinch when the other Genin threatened that he would unsheathe his katana, the terrifying, yet beautiful Sakurahime.

"No fighting, Sen-chan, Norio-chan." Told them Mei, pushing away from her teammate's shoulder and sitting up straight. She gave Tsubaki a smile first, as he was sitting across from her. "Sen-chan is right, his strategy would be the most effective if you were solving this problem on a paper test." The shinobi beside her grumbled and Mei turned her head to him next. "While Norio-chan is also correct, as the difference in strength of different ranks of shinobi in other villages need to be taken into account during the mission. If the circumstances were right, blasting through with brute power could be an option, as well." The only kunoichi in the group yawned, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her palm. Mei, as the final piece of their three-man cell, was their moral compass and the glue which held the team together.

"True, but this is merely a paper problem, hence, mine is the correct answer." As usual, Tsubaki was relentless when he knew that he was right. Which was almost all the time.

"Hmph." Norio grumbled, but didn't engage his teammate further. Instead, he sipped his drink. "When will she be here?" He spoke after a minute, still sounding rather vexed from their earlier squabble. "It's already half past eight."

"I've been asleep for two hours?" Mei's eyes widened, strands of her hair whipping about her face as she turned to her teammate. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" She pouted.

"You're always tired after making the journey, Mei-chan." Tsubaki answered from his seat. "It's best that you're as rested as possible for whatever comes next. We don't know if we'll be leaving on a mission or if we'll simply be training again."

"Besides, you need your beauty sleep." Norio piped up, smirking now. That always spelled trouble. "You'll never get married with a face like that." He reached up, flicking her forehead with his fingers. Mei grumbled, rubbing the sore spot, but didn't retaliate. She knew that Norio was, in plain terms, a bully. He insulted people around him in order to distance himself. But, deep inside, he cared. He'd showed that to her plenty of times. Just moments ago, she'd woken up from sleeping soundly on his shoulder, after all. And if you've ever let someone sleep on you, you know that doing so for a long period of time wasn't a comfortable feat. So, she let him get away with his hurtful comments.

"Sensei isn't here yet?" Mei asked, looking out the window, only to realize that it was pointless. As the morning came the fog in the village had gotten worse. The only thing she could see out the window was the faint yellow shimmer of the closest lamppost in the street. She couldn't even spot the shop on the opposite side of the road. "Should we worry?"

"She said seven." Tsubaki hummed, tilting his head while he thought. "Suppose we'll give her fifteen more minutes and then go to her flat?"

"You've been to her place?" Norio asked, surprised. He then smirked once more, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I see how it is." Tsubaki didn't even bat an eyelash at the quip, instead sipping the last of his tea.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, virgin boy." A new voice, melodic and delicate, gave a stern reprimand from their left. The three Genin turned to see their sensei standing in the shop, unwrapping a shawl from around her face. Norio couldn't help the blush which bloomed on his face, opting to look at his drink in order to hide it. The woman spoke the truth, after all.

"Sensei, please, sit down." Tsubaki jumped to his feet, heading to help the woman get seated across from his other two teammates. The Jōnin was a fairy tall and slim woman, always dressed in kimono-like dresses which accented her long legs. Her skin was white as snow, porcelain-like, a feat which many Kiri kunoichi strived to achieve. She usually pinned her long, ebony hair in a loose bun at the back of her head, leaving strands to spill out elegantly. Her lips were always red, as the reddest of roses, and her dark eyes held a kind glow to them as she looked at her students. This was their mentor and teacher, appointed by the Shinobi Arts Academy, and the team's voice of reason, Yano Mirai. Have we mentioned that she's also eight months pregnant?

"You worry too much, Sentarō." The woman scolded him, but she accepted the hand and allowed her student to help her get comfortable in the seat. "Alright, enough doting. You're not my husband. Where are the offerings?" If there was one thing which contradicted within the Jōnin, it was how she looked and what came out of her mouth. Yano Mirai came from the clan of the same name, one of the last in Kiri. She'd grown up with six brothers that came before her down the path of shinobi, as well as two who followed her footsteps. The only thing which was lady-like about her was her beauty, as Norio liked to point out.

"I'll order some sweets." Tsubaki remained on his feet, heading to the front of the store to get some 'offerings' for the baby, as their sensei liked to call it. In Mei's opinion, the woman was bearing through her pregnancy quite well so far. Tsubaki returned in record time with some mitarashi dango and sat down. Their sensei grabbed a stick and began eating, a look of pure pleasure on her face.

"Yanomira, what do you have planned for us?" Norio didn't wait for her to finish. As all three of them did, he used the nickname for their sensei which they had come up with in their first days of Genin training. By now, the woman herself had started introducing herself as such.

"Will you hold your horses, boy?" Their sensei grumbled, but she licked her fingers clean and continued explaining, regardless. "I've signed you up for Chūnin Exams." The woman dropped the metaphorical bomb. Tsubaki's smile left his face. Norio dropped a stick full of mitarashi dango on the table. Mei choked on her tea.

"The Chūnin Exams?" Asked Tsubaki, a frown on his face, as Norio clapped Mei on her back to help her breathe once more.

"The Chūnin Exams." Confirmed Yanomira with a nod, eating another row of dango. "Since we have done a number of D and E missions, I have decided that it's time." She nodded to herself once more, finishing the treat in record time. A smirk returned to Tsubaki's face, wider than before, as he placed his elbows on the table, chin in his hands. Norio's hands brushed along the strip of cloth which held his katana on his back, his own crooked smile promising bloodshed. Mei blinked once more, before gripping the hem of her kimono top in excitement. The air in the small shop seemed to become tick with anticipation.

"When will our special training begin, Yanomira-sensei?" Mei broke the silence.

"Today, we'll work on finishing the tasks which I gave you the week before last." Their sensei said, arranging the four empty sticks neatly on her plate. "Then, you shall have time to prepare for the Exams accordingly."

"How long have you known about the Exams, sensei?" Asked Tsubaki, his brows furrowing. Yanomira looked mildly offended at the blatant accusation.

"I've known that I would register you for a month or so now. That last mission that you completed showed me that you were ready. But, the invitation came from Konohagakure last week." She explained. "We are by no means on friendly terms with the Leaf shinobi, but Yondaime has agreed to send a team. Purely out of courtesy. I want that team to be you." There were varying degrees of shock on the faces of the Genin as they exchanged looks.

"We're going to Konoha?" Mei exclaimed, astonished. Normally, the Chūnin Exams were held internally in their village, to preserve their techniques and keep them secret. The Exams were also a bloody affair, much more so than the former graduation ceremony.

"Well, that will be interesting." Tsubaki mumbled, chewing on the end of one of the dango sticks, attempting to suck out all the sweetness from it. "With the current situation in our village, I doubt that we're popular guests anywhere. Especially in Konoha."

"What do you mean?" The young kunoichi asked. She wasn't too good at following politics, since she lived in a secluded temple. Rather, she focused on her studies and hoped that the new developments and problems wouldn't affect her lifestyle too much.

"Konoha does things a bit differently than Kiri, Mei-chan." Said Yanomira. "They have taken on a rather soft approach to their students in the recent years. Specifically, since the death of their Yondaime Hokage."

"So, what you should imagine is a shinobi village without all the mist and all the blood." Grinned Norio, loosening his precious Sakurahime from his back and placing the long katana on his lap. His smirk widened. "It'd be an honor to paint it a beautiful crimson."

Suddenly, the air became tense. It was hard to breathe. "You will do no such thing." Yanomira's voice was tight, a swift warning, reminding the three young Genin exactly who she was. The blond boy glared back, trying to fight the sheer power and murderous intent that he was under. But, to no avail. Norio looked away, giving up the stare down and the argument along with it.

"So, how will the team be selected for the Exams?" Mei asked, cutting the tense silence. The pressure vanished immediately, their sensei giving her usual, cheerful smile.

"I'm glad that you asked." She moved a bit, her hand going to her swollen stomach. Mei instantly moved to get up and help her, but Yanomira put a hand up, stopping her. "The good thing is that- aaah that's much better-" she exclaimed with a sigh of relief as she found the perfect position. "that the Kage will be personally looking into your scores, mission count and abilities himself." Then, she frowned a bit. "The bad thing is that that will be the only thing which he will be looking into."

"There will be no test?" Asked Norio with a frown.

"As far as I know, there won't." Yanomira said. "It is a bit of a surprise, really, that our village has received an invitation at all. We haven't been on good terms with Konohagakure for a long time."

"More like, with any shinobi village." Norio huffed, tracing the sakura petals on the sheath of his katana.

"That is true." Yanomira furrowed her eyebrows, which did nothing to impede her beauty in Mei's opinion. "Our relations have always been testy at best and borderline hostile at most." Then, the sensei smiled brightly once more. "So, this will be a great opportunity for us to show that the times are changing and that we have progressed since the 'Bloody Mist'. The political, diplomatic aspect of this mission will give it a C rank."

A silence ensued. All three young Genin were well aware just how much those words were wrong. Kirigakure hadn't forgotten its past, nor had it moved much from it. The situation was still the same, despite Yondaime's attempts at outward diplomacy. The caste system was still strong. The bloodshed during their tests still in abundance. They were still living in Chigiri no Sato, no matter how much the grownups wanted to mask the reality. Mei knew that the best. After all, each time she traveled home, she would be reminded of the fact.

"Is there anything that we can do to ensure that we are sent on this mission?" Mei asked after a while, not looking up from her cup of tea. It was a somber atmosphere whenever that particular topic was mentioned, and there was simply no helping it. The young kunoichi glanced left and right to her teammates, noticing that Norio's glance had become blank somehow, still focused on his katana, as if he was far away in his thoughts. Tsubaki, on the other hand, wasn't smiling anymore, which was like a constant, painted expression on his face. He looked unnatural with a worried face.

"There is nothing much that you can do, except be ready if there is an impromptu test." Yanomira sighed, once more moving in her seat to find a better spot. "So, after you finish the special training menu, you will revise the abilities and capabilities of your fellow Genin, making strategies how you can defeat each team." Their sensei spoke with a certain finality to her tone. "I also want you to think about all the Jutsu which you are accustomed to using and how you can incorporate them into your own, unique, style." When the three Genin shared a pained look, their teacher smiled. "Dismissed!" With that, she stood, a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder helping her up. And their sensei left them sitting in the tea shop alone, in a rather somber atmosphere. It was broken by the sound of Tsubaki's head hitting the table, as he fell asleep. Norio and Mei shared a look of exasperation and amusement at their teammate's state.

* * *

Mei's entire body ached as she dragged herself along the road with Norio beside her. The mist had gotten a bit thinner, allowing them to see more than just a meter ahead of them. The shinobi beside her grumbled something about Yanomira being the devil incarnate, but Mei didn't have the strength to reply. Their sensei had made the most challenging possible training menu for them a few weeks ago. It had a variety of basic exercises, such as simple replacement techniques and applying Chakra to one's feet while walking up a wall or tree. Then, it had more advanced Jutsu which each of them specialized in. Their individual schedules were coupled with short breaks for food while doing stamina training, such as crouches or push-ups. And, in the end, three fights against one another had been scheduled for each day, with only the Jutsu practiced that day being allowed during combat. As this was the last day of the training, luckily, Mei could already feel her spirit breaking. Their sensei was definitely the devil incarnate.

"Home sweet home." Exclaimed Norio in a tired huff as he unlocked the front gate of the building where his apartment was. The two teammates climbed the row of stairs in silence, heading for the door which seemed to almost glow to them, like heaven. Norio unlocked it and they both stumbled in, dropping as soon as they reached the clean hardwood.

"Are you okay?" Mei asked a few moments later, when she could actually feel all of her limbs. She wriggled a bit, so that she could face her friend on the floor beside her.

"Like hell." Norio replied in a huff. Mei could see a large bruise on his forehead forming where Tsubaki had managed to land a solid kick to his head. It had, unfortunately for Norio, ended their match, which meant that he'd had to complete the penalty for the day: a hundred squats. Mei, though, had managed to win against a very tired Norio afterwards, making him do another hundred squats, and she'd lost against Tsubaki, who was simply too quick for her. Long story short, her Taijutsu needed serious work.

"Let me take a look at that." The girl managed to push herself up, tilting her friend's head and looking at the bleeding bruise. "It doesn't seem too bad. A little antiseptic and ointment and you'll be right as rain. Come on." When Norio gave a grunt, but didn't move, Mei sighed and offered him a small smile. Shaking her head she took off her standard issue shinobi sandals and then proceeded to take his off, too. Next, she dragged her friend further into his own home, ignoring the bubbling chuckles coming from him. Mei somehow managed to pull him up onto the only sofa in his living room, while Norio was almost crying from laughter at her pathetic attempts to hoist him up onto his feet. Finally, the kunoichi was able to treat his only serious wound. When she was finished, Norio gently removed her hands from the bandage, moving into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

"Take the bed. I'm not moving from this spot." And who said chivalry was dead?

* * *

 **That's all folks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of 'It's complicated'!**

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 **Thanks to all who have favorited and put this story into their alerts! I hope that you keep enjoying it.**

 **Special thanks to Stickaroo, Hannah and At Night We Rise who left me amazing reviews! I look forward to reading more of your thoughts :D**

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 **As always, I'm still looking for a Beta. Gimmie a holler if you're interested.**

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 **Chapter 3: Konohagakure**

Yamamoto Saeko, previously known as Shima Saeko, was, what you would call, an early bird. In the last seven or so years, however, she has gotten used to seeing the light burning on when she rose. There was someone in her home who woke even before she did, which was quite a feat. This morning was just the same as others.

Saeko rose and dressed in the darkness of her and her husband's empty room, not needing her eyes at all. It was a remainder of the old days, the instincts which she simply couldn't seem to shake off. She knew, even from this spot, exactly what was happening in every room of her home. She could feel the soft breathing of her charge, the red-haired girl who was quickly becoming a master of medicine. Her chakra was flaring up, almost like a tiny heartbeat, telling Saeko that the girl was having a bad dream. Further down the halls, she could sense her patients, as well.

The young mother who'd brought in her daughter last night was tossing and turning, not leaving her baby's side. The child had a mild case of swamp cough and would be perfectly fine, in Saeko's opinion. Though, it was best to be certain. An old man who was quickly becoming a part of their odd family lay in his bed, still, sound asleep. His leg had been getting better and better during the two weeks he'd been with them. Saeko suspected that she would soon instruct Mei to deliver a message to the man's wife that it's time to take him home. And in the farthest room, the one with the most sunlight, Saeko could sense a man and his wife, laying on a single futon. They'd arrived a few days ago, worried about her pregnancy.

The old healer brushed her hair back, letting it hang all the way down, almost reaching her thighs. With swift motions of her nimble fingers, she braided it using her favorite scent, the essence of river jasmine. In minutes, she was ready for the day. She left her room and headed down the hall, still not bothering to turn on the lights. Though her eyes weren't what they used to be, her chakra was as strong as ever. She'd learnt a long time ago to feel out everything around her to the best of her ability. Somehow, that habit had never faded. Her feet easily took her down the familiar corridors, soundless steps on the polished wood not disturbing a soul.

The door to her granddaughter's room was open, much to her surprise. There was a single light turned on inside. The warm glow flickered over the slight form of the young kunoichi, who was softly whispering to herself. Despite the fact that her back was turned towards her grandmother, Saeko knew exactly what the young girl was doing. A sigh left the teen's mouth and the healer heard a telltale sound of a backpack being emptied on the bed. She didn't doubt that this wasn't the first time the girl had done so, either. The teen hurriedly began stuffing everything back into the bag while muttering under her breath. With a soft smile, Saeko rapped her knuckles softly against the open door, entering otherwise soundlessly.

"Oh, I remember these kinds of mornings." The old healer sighed softly, coming closer to her granddaughter. She was shorter than the girl, but only by a little bit. "Well, it looks like you have everything that you need."

"And everything that I don't need." Grumbled Mei, her head hanging in disappointment. Her grandmother opened the backpack and emptied it onto the bed once more. Then, she proceeded to fold the clothes properly.

"Here." The old woman placed a beige sundress from the pack on the foot of the bed. "Change into this. That is a bit too warm for Konohagakure." The healer smiled as she pointed at Mei's standard issued grey vest and olive green pinstriped turtleneck. As the young girl began stripping, she noted the way that her grandmother had said the name of the village. It sounded so much more exotic and foreign. It was then when the young girl realized that she was leaving Mizu no Kuni. Alone.

Sure, she would have Norio and Tsubaki with her, but she would essentially be alone. And she had never done that before. All of their missions had been on the neighboring islands. After all, they were only Genin and their sensei was pregnant. She had never been to Hi no Kuni. It scared and excited her at the same time.

"Are you sure that I won't be cold in this?" The girl asked, looking down at the dress. It was a usual one that she wore while exploring the woods around the Temple that went steeply down towards the marshes. Except, she usually had tights and a turtleneck underneath it, made from standard protective material in Kiri, to shield her from the cold and the poisonous insect bites and plants.

"Not at all." Her grandmother kept packing the small backpack, folding and placing things inside carefully. "Konohagakure is quite warm during this time of year. They don't even have this much mist." Mei gave a nod, swiftly taking off the rest of her clothes. The zippers sounded in the softly lit room, as Saeko closed the pack. "There we go. All set. Now-" The healer turned. "-let me have a look at you." The woman's brown eyes softened, crinkling at the corners as she looked at her granddaughter. "You look so much like me when I was your age." She whispered softly, her hands coming to the bottom of the sundress, straightening it out. "When did you stitch these in?"

Mei looked down as well, remembering that she had made some corrections on that dress. Now, it had small scorpions all the way around the bottom. "I didn't stitch them. Take a look with your glasses on."

"Oh! Now that is clever!" Laughed the old woman, taking off her glasses once again and letting them hang on the long cord around her neck. "They most certainly won't expect that I assure you. You go and complete this mission successfully and surprise your grandfather by becoming Chūnin before he comes home. Now, turn around and let me see that hair of yours." And the girl soundlessly obeyed.

* * *

Saeko sat on the porch of the Temple, looking through the mist towards the marshes, and further away, the sea. When she stood completely still there, for a brief moment, she could catch the flicker of the gondolas in the mist, swaying left and right from one island to the other. It was silent, like it always was at the Temple. Each and every creature in the surrounding thickets was stalking their prey, after all. And, Saeko felt at peace with that kind of an atmosphere surrounding her. It was home.

"Sensei?" Saeko's redheaded apprentice called in a soft tone. "Is everything alright?"

"No." Saeko sighed. Before Kaede could speak again, the old healer patted the space next to her on the patio. "I suppose there comes a time when I really must let go of her." She told the young apprentice. "I held onto her mother for too long. Smothered her."

"I'm sure that you meant well, Sensei." Kaede comforted in her feathery tone. That was one of the reasons why Saeko hadn't been reluctant to take the girl on as a student. Kaede had a way of reading the body language perfectly and adjusting her manner in order to soothe everyone near her. Usually, it was with that feathery tone of her soft voice.

"Kaede, my student." Saeko turned to the redhead, reaching up and caressing the girl's face with her wrinkly hand. "Sometimes good intentions breed bad actions. It is a lesson for life when kindness turns its blade on you and stabs you when you're least expecting."

"Should I be unkind then?" Kaede frowned, her delicate features changing with a furrowed brow.

"Never." Saeko tucked the girl's messy curls behind her ear and then pulled her in for a motherly hug, where Kaede relaxed. "There is but one weapon stronger than any Jutsu or any kunai, and that is kindness." They sat like that, in the mist, for a few moments before a groan was heard from inside the Temple. The young pregnant woman needed their attention.

"Shall we, Sensei?" Kaede asked with a small smile, elegantly getting up in her kimono.

"We shall. Work waits for no one." And Saeko was on her feet, too. As she led the way towards their patient, she titled her head briefly towards her pupil. "Ignore the ramblings of this foolish old woman, Kaede, but keep your kindness close to your heart."

* * *

"There you are!" Norio jumped up in the boat, rocking it. Mei stuck her tongue out at him and then jumped into the small vessel, rocking it further. Their sensei, her face unusually pale, gripped the side even harder with her manicured nails, making it crack. "We thought that those monsters from your marshes had finally killed you." The blond swordsman sneered at her.

"As if!" Mei retorted, opting to sit next to their third teammate, who was asleep, rather peacefully, as usual. If there was one thing that Tsubaki was bad at, and he wasn't terrible at a lot of things, it was sleeping patterns. Mei was sure that the boy had some form of narcolepsy, since he seemed to be able to fall asleep at the strangest of times, and then wake up, as if he had never lost consciousness at all. In fact, he had once stopped in a middle of a sentence, only to open his eyes after a short nap and finish it. It was hilarious when they were training, but troublesome on missions.

"We're ready then." Grumbled Yanomira, signaling the helmsman. The gondola-like vessel pushed off, moving silently through the waters. This was the only way which they could use to travel to the Nami no Kuni. From there, they would go by foot. Altogether, the trip would last around four days, even if they went full speed. And, that really wasn't possible, since their sensei was heavily pregnant. Mei expected them to arrive at least three days before the Chūnin Exams, even if they took the slowest road. If she were being honest, she was looking forward to exploring another hidden village. Heck, she'd heard that they had hot springs!

* * *

They stopped that evening at one of the islands, only for a short break and a change of boats. By then, Yanomira looked ready to hurl. Norio had found it borderline comical, in his own, sinister, way, since their sensei had never been sick on a boat before her pregnancy. The stay was far more mundane than Mei had expected it to be, in a small Inn with fairly unappealing food. Bland, tasteless rice made her yearn for her grandmother's delicious miso soup and cookies. Heck, she would even drink Kirin Nectar, her least favorite drink, rather than the metal-tasting water which they had been given for the road.

But, they couldn't be picky. Mei knew that very well. Mizu no Kuni had been wrecked with civil unrest during the past couple of years, and away from the safety of her grandfather's Temple, there were limited resources. People went days without food and starved even. She had it good. All of them had it good. To help pass the time, they'd played stabscotch with a kunai, which, surprisingly, didn't result in a lost finger this time. On the other hand, unsurprisingly, Norio had won the game.

Nami no Kuni came and went by quickly. They were a tad surprised by the large beginning of a bridge which was being constructed, that Norio supplied a dry comment about. Tsubaki, though, oddly awake, informed them of the current political situation in the small place on the border of the two nations, explaining just why this bridge would be a great move for them. Mei enjoyed listening to the boy's trivia, but Yanomira-sensei looked less than impressed, by now hanging off the side of the boat awkwardly, attempting not to puke.

Instead of going by foot, like they would've around eight months ago, the team chose to hitch a ride with one of the civilians. They had to change clothes and appear as inconspicuous as possible, but other than that, they had a fairly smooth ride with one of the chatty rice field workers. That is, if you didn't count in all the chickens which they were seated among in the back of the cart.

Konohagakure came into their sight on the fifth day of their journey, giving them a sense of relaxation. They were welcomed at the gates by a shinobi, a Chūnin from the host village, and led to the Hokage's office to register properly as foreign shinobi. Mei found the old man, the Sandaime, quite interesting and genuinely warm. She could see then what their sensei had meant about Konoha being different. While their Yondaime Mizukage was a young, but somehow terrifying, man, this old shinobi looked like a friendly grandpa, at best. She had had to remind herself a couple of times that he was the strongest fighter of the village.

"Home sweet home." Commented Norio, pushing the door to their hotel room open. It was a traditional place, which reminded Mei of the Shitchi Temple where she lived. Of course, it was much more modern than the old place that her grandfather kept, but it still held a nostalgic feeling to it.

"Shoes off." Yanomira commanded, before leaning on the doorframe. "You lot clean up and get ready. I have a previous engagement." And then, the Jōnin vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Yano-sensei!" Mei yelled out, but it was too late. "Kami! She isn't supposed to use any Jutsu while she's pregnant!" The girl grumbled, taking off her sandals. "That's simply too reckless. What if she loses the baby?"

"You shouldn't worry so much, Mei-chan." Commented Tsubaki, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Yanomira-sensei is an accomplished kunoichi. I'm sure that she knows her body the best."

"But-" A warm weight hit the kunoichi's back, making her bump into the cupboard which she was using as support while taking off her shoes. She grabbed onto the wood, craning her neck only to see her teammate asleep. Again. "Norio-kun, can you help me?"

"Pft." Said the swordsman, coming back towards them. He grabbed Tsubaki and slung him over his shoulder with ease, still not bothering to take his standard shinobi sandals off. "I'm going out." He deposited their teammate on the couch in the living room and jumped out the open window.

"Use a door properly." Grumbled the only kunoichi on the team and shook her head. She quickly found a bathroom and locked herself in. Undoing the braid which her grandmother had made for her a couple of days back made her a bit sad, but she needed to wash her hair. It had become too oily and dirty during the trip, sticking to her neck and shoulders and itching at the scalp.

It took her a moment to work the shower, because she was used to drawing an old-style bath at the Temple. However, she was a frequent guest at Norio's flat in Kirigakure, where they had running water, so Mei managed to find her way. The wash was quick, shinobi-style, as they liked to call it, and she was soon leaving the low tub.

The young kunoichi brushed her hair out slowly, only then noticing the difference it texture. Her locks had become silky somehow. Soft to the touch. She brought a strand to her nose, smelling it. Despite her shampoo, she could still catch the scent of coconuts.

"Thank you, grandma." Mei whispered to herself. The old woman had remembered that she was rather depressed about the change in her hair texture. The girl took extra time to care for her locks this time, brushing them out and braiding them in the back. She dressed herself in a beige sundress, a definitely favorite combination of comfort and usefulness. After tossing a smile at her reflection in the mirror, Mei quickly performed a couple of handseals and then bit her thumb, drawing blood. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" She exclaimed, placing the hand on the mirror.

Scorpions exploded everywhere. Tiny, sand-colored scorpions. They clambered around the sink, the faucets, stuck to the mirror, ran up Mei's arm and fell to the floor. She didn't even flinch. She had been bitten numerous times before. She was immune to their poison. In fact, she was immune to a number of poisons. She did live on Teichi no Shima.

"Can you take care of my hair, please?" Asked the kunoichi, smiling softly at her venomous friends. The small creatures seemed to hear the command, changing their mindless wandering and beginning to climb. They jumped on her legs, staggering upwards and tickling the girl. They sank into the cotton of her dress, becoming mere stitched-in drawings all around the rim and up on the sides. The larger ones caught onto her legs, staying at her ankles, one on each foot, almost like bracelets. Later, she would allow them to hold her sandals for her. The rest of them piled into her thick braid, becoming decorative clips. In the end, Mei pulled two strands on each side in front of her ear, placing two small scorpions on them to hold the strands in place. "All set!" The kunoichi grinned, leaving the bathroom with her pack finally.

"Well, you look ready for a battle." Came a sleepy voice from the couch. Tsubaki was giving her a close-eyed smile, a lollipop swirling about in his mouth.

"I can't help it, Sen-chan." Mei huffed, placing her pack on the ground and beginning to messily pull out her things. She was definitely the slob of the group. "We are in enemy territory, after all."

"I know." Tsubaki commented, grinning widely. He reminded Mei of Norio for a second. She remembered then just how her teammates were. Fierce. Battle loving. Bloodthirsty. They were what she wasn't, which made them such a great team. Norio was the loose cannon. Tsubaki was the calculating leader. Mei was the moral compass. They had balance.

"You're too excited, Sen-chan." The girl frowned and picked up the boy's legs, who had turned onto his back in the meantime, putting them in her lap after sitting down.

"Just as much as you."

* * *

Mei spent the rest of her day snoozing on the couch and lazily flicking Jutsu at Tsubaki when he fell asleep. Which, really, was quite often. They ended up playing a movie on the TV, one of the numerous choices the hotel had provided them with. And, while the action-packed adventure of the three Leaf shinobi wasn't her entertainment of preference, she actually had a good time watching it. Tsubaki, being Tsubaki, kept pointing out the mistakes in the Jutsu and plot holes throughout the whole show. Finally, it was when the sun set that they both headed for their rooms, not really worried about the safety of their teammate and sensei. In all honesty, they were more worried about the havoc those two would wreck if provoked.

It was early the next day when Mei rose. For a hot second, she opened her eyes and blinked in the darkness, studying her unfamiliar surroundings. For the past couple of years, after all, she would either wake up in her room at the Shitchi Temple, Norio's flat in Kirigakure or safely lying next to one of her teammates. But, after a few deep breaths, she remembered exactly where she was. She went about her morning routine with usual efficiency. Mei decided to forgo the protective pinstriped material she usually wore underneath her sundress and went with only the dress this time. But, after shuffling around, she realized that the hem of it flew too far up whenever she spun. In case of a battle, she would appear indecent. Hence, it was definitely the time to go on a hunt for tights.

The young kunoichi scrawled a message and left it taped on the fridge, making sure that at least Yanomira would know where she'd gone. Their sensei, even when she wasn't pregnant, went for the food first. The two pairs of standard-issued shinobi shoes told her that the rest of their team had made it home the night before. Mei, with a soft smile, slipped on her own sandals and headed out.

The streets of Konohagakure were much different than those in Kiri. The obvious thing was the lack of mist. Mei's feet stayed completely dry as she walked down the roads, trying to find the main street and a living soul. Konohagakure was still asleep. She turned a few wrong corners, ending up at the large gates which welcomed visitors and foreigners alike. With a sigh, the young kunoichi took a break there. She spotted a familiar face in the booth near the entrance, though. Walking over there Mei noticed that the Chūnin who had welcomed them yesterday was peacefully snoozing in his seat. His hear was even more disheveled than yesterday and he had a bit of drool dripping onto his vest. With a small giggle, Mei decided that she could wait. The man looked like he needed his sleep. Instead of waking him, she hopped onto the counter, making herself comfortable in the corner, from which she regarded the woods surrounding the village outside of the giant gates.

She wasn't sure how much time passed before the Chūnin made a small coughing sound and straightened in his seat. After blearily looking around, he noticed her presence.

"Good morning!" Mei exclaimed in a gentle tone. His eyes widened, mouth going slack. Obviously, early risers weren't common in Konoha. "Could you point me to the nearest clothing store?" She was still politely smiling at him.

"That way, take two rights after the ramen shop." He finally replied. Mei gave a polite nod, hopped off the information counter and turned around to give the Chūnin a polite bow.

"Thank you for your help." Then, not using her kunoichi speed, she walked down the street in the direction she'd been told to take. The sun was finally spilling over the horizon, lighting up the multi-colored buildings in the village. Mei wondered if Kirigakure would look similar to this without all the mist. She supposed that it wouldn't. Kiri locals didn't like this much color in their surroundings. Their houses were bland in olive, grey and dark blue tones. Mei's mind supplied that she wouldn't mind living here. She liked the color. She liked the life of the place, even when it was asleep.

The delicious smell of fresh ramen brought her to a stop, stomach growling. She turned around, deciding to first get breakfast and then find a pair of tights. Maybe two. She headed for the shop, obviously open, and pulled the cloth flap to the side, entering.

"Good morning, sir." She greeted with a smile. The old man behind the counter gave her a nod and welcomed her into his shop. It was a small street stand. At most, she supposed it could fit ten people. But, she liked the coziness of it. Aside from herself, she spotted another customer. It was a young boy with striking blond hair and an even more noticeable orange getup. _Interesting,_ she mused to herself. Though, Mei didn't join the boy. She instead chose a seat in the middle of the counter, pulling herself up onto the tall chair. The menu didn't tell her much. She was unfamiliar with good food in Konoha.

"What will it be, miss?" Asked the vendor.

"Why don't you give me your recommendation, sir?" She asked, putting the menu down. "I'm visiting."

"Well, then." The man seemed to think for a bit. "Chicken or beef?"

"Beef." The kunoichi took the chance to eat something uncommon to her homeland.

"More or less noodles?"

"More." Her stomach growled.

"Naruto special it is!" Decided the vendor, turning around. "It's a favorite here, for shinobi." He moved quickly, in practiced motions with clear expertise. "Business or pleasure?" The man continued conversationally.

"Both, I hope." Mei replied, leaning forward onto her hands, elbows propped on the counter.

"Well, if you do have the time, you've come at the perfect month of the year." He continued. "Plenty of sights to see in Konoha. The hot springs are exquisite, too." He turned around grinning wide. "Try to catch the Chūnin exams, too, if you have the time. They're in two days."

"Oh, I will." Mei smiled. But, behind the polite façade of her usual sweet smile hid a smirk which couldn't be described as anything but bloodthirsty. Yes, she was the moral compass of her team. Yes, she was the one who usually told them to show mercy. But, she was a kunoichi of Chigiri no Sato in the end.

And blood was her in her veins and soul alike.

* * *

 **That's all for now!**

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 **Hannah, here is my reply to your review:  
First, thanks so much for leaving your thoughts! I'm glad that you're enjoying my story :D  
As for Mei, she is an OC, despite sharing the same name as Terumi Mei, the Fifth Mizukage. I was thinking along the lines of – what if Mei was a name like Jane? Quite common. So, I figured I'd do something like that xD Sorry for the confusion hahahaha  
I hope that you'll keep enjoying the story :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello and welcome!**

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 **I had a bit of a pause in this fic, as I've been traveling. I went to see Istanbul for the first time and I would recommend it to anyone who's considering the trip. It's definitely worth the cash!**

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 **Now, my thanks goes out to everyone who followed, favorites and reviewed!  
I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter!**

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 **Chapter 4: Ramen and paper**

"Two Naruto specials, here you go!" The chatterbox of a vendor served the food to the only two people in the shop. The boy at the end of the counter, the one in the flamboyant getup, jumped up when his bowl hit the counter, obviously waking up.

"Two?" He asked in a sleepy tone. "Where's the second?" He asked again, looking around to see it in front of Mei. She offered him a polite smile and a wave. "Why're you ordering the Naruto special?" He squinted. "It's my special. I'm Naruto. The one and only Naruto."

"Well, one and only Naruto, I got it as a recommendation." The girl smiled, picking up a pair of chopsticks. Before she even broke them apart she felt him slide towards her, his bowl following.

"Say say, nee-chan, you like ramen?" He asked, wide grin on his face. Mei felt the chakra in him flare excitedly. It wasn't threatening. More… curious. She decided that she liked this Konoha shinobi. He grinned wide, without any reservation. It was nice to see a shinobi be able to do that.

"I suppose so." The kunoichi mused. She slurped a bit of noodles, chewing them and enjoying the taste. It was a perfect blend. "I like this ramen, that much I can tell you."

"Alright, alright!" The boy, Naruto, seemed proud. "It's my ramen, you know?" He proudly proclaimed. "The best ramen in Konoha!"

"I see." Mei smiled. "I hope you'll do me the honor of eating with me then?" She asked. Meals alone were lonely meals. They made the food taste bad. "My treat, of course." She supplied.

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed with another wide grin. "Itadakimasu!" And he loudly dug into his food with gusto. Mei slowly followed with her own quiet thanks for the delicious meal. In between bites Naruto talked. And, he talked a lot. In comparison to her meals with her team and her family, it was very comforting to have someone else hold up the conversation. Well, it was more of a monologue. With a few questions Mei kept him chattering on about his last mission, the reason why he was in for food this early, and his own life. He told her about a beautiful girl on his team, Sakura-chan, whom he obviously held feelings for. And he also explained about the lousiest ninja in the world, a boy named Sasuke, who was also on his team. Apparently, Naruto had saved him a number of times. He told her how they'd walked hounds on their last mission and how Sasuke had made a mistake which led Naruto into a mine field with his dog. All in all, it made for interesting, though little unbelievable, breakfast talk.

"And and, you should've seen it! We fell down a waterfall!" Naruto told her, waving his chopsticks around. "If I hadn't been there, who knows what would've happened!" He told her, slurping up the rest of his noodles and soup.

"It sounds like an amazing adventure." Mei concluded with a small smile. She reached for her money from the bag, but Naruto was faster. He placed two pieces of paper on the counter and slid them to the vendor. "But I thought it was my treat?" Asked Mei with a small frown.

"It's alright." The boy assured her. "They're only good for today, after all." He scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment.

"Alright, the next one's on me, then." The kunoichi replied with a grin of her own. His good mood was rather infectious.

"Alright!" Naruto agreed. The two left the shop together, exiting into the sunny street, now busy with people. "Besides, now you can tell everyone that the future Hokage bought you ramen!" He grinned wide. Then, he pointed at the large mountain behind the village, where the faces of the previous Hokage stared down at them. "I'll have my handsome mug up there soon." He boasted. "Uzumaki Naruto, the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure!"

Mei stared, without reservation, at the confidence. She wondered, what was her dream? What significant thing would she do for her own village in the future?

* * *

The next two days passed quickly and Mei didn't see Naruto after their encounter at the ramen shop. Norio dragged her off every morning for a training session in the gardens behind their hotel, which left her legs quite sore. Tsubaki, on the other hand, joined her for a movie night every evening with a bowl of different local food. During the day, Mei left the village borders, checking out with the Chūnin guards and checking back in when she was done. She explored the woods outside, looking for indigenous plants from her book.

If there was one thing which Mei was good at, it was using the local vegetation. For healing or poisoning, she loved it all the same. After all, when one lives on an island like Teichi no Shima, it's only a matter of time before they start to venture among the land of predators hiding in the tall grass and among the dark trees. And, Mei had done this fairly early in her years. With protective gear on her feet and hands she'd collected hundreds of samples, testing them out on herself and noting the changes in her condition after time. There was no leaf left on the island which she'd forgone. And, she had her own notes, as well. They were detailed, carefully telling the story of the progression of each illness.

Her grandparents would've preferred her simply reading, of course, but she wasn't that kind of a girl. No, Mei learned through experiencing. And, as a true testament to that, she'd ended up in her grandmother's sickbay a number of times. Whether it was a high fever or a case of rash which she simply couldn't get rid of, her grandmother had taken care of her with a small smile, sigh and a shake of her head. But, she'd never forbidden the young kunoichi from discovering her surroundings. Instead, the old healer had bought her more notebooks, of the same style, small and pale green and blue, to keep her findings in order.

During her time in the woods, the Kiri kunoichi had spotted a few other locals. There had been a boy walking his small white dog and another one going around with his eyes closed. Finally, she'd gotten used to seeing a rather flamboyant shinobi practicing his taijutsu on an old tree trunk. He was there whenever Mei passed, in the morning, and he usually stayed until she returned, in the evening. The kunoichi had gotten used to her life in Konoha after the first day of exploring. She had a comfortable routine which involved at least one visit to the ramen store, in silent hope of seeing Naruto again, and numerous hours spent collecting, identifying and sometimes even tasting the plants outside of the village.

So, when the day of the exams arrived, Norio actually had to remind her of their next task. He stopped her just as she was headed out with a small shake of his head and a snide comment. Then, Mei had left her bag on the counter, opting to return to the main room of their temporary home.

"Had a good night's rest?" She happily greeted her teammate, who was now sitting in the living room, polishing his blade carefully. Sakurahime. _She_ , as the young swordsman insisted, was a formidable and beautiful sword, even for someone like Mei, who didn't know much about them. Sure, she could use it, somehow, if necessary, as they had been taught some kenjutsu at the Academy during their bukijutsu training, but she would lose to an expert swordsman in a second. And Norio was just that. He aspired to become one of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, the infamous group of swordsmen.

Mei only doubted that Norio would be able to part with his one and only love, Sakurahime, as one had to own one of the seven blades in order to join the group. The shinobi had gotten his blade from his master, that much the girl knew, and he didn't talk much about his past otherwise. The girl knew that Norio had come from outside of the country, and risen in ranks at the Academy rather quickly, just like the rest of their team. They had been formed from the absolute lowest shinobi. All three had started their studies in the art of ninja too late, and they had never been given much thought as a proper team. She supposed that they were lucky that Yanomira had seen something in them.

"Hn." Responded the swordsman, taking Sakurahime into his hand and putting her against the morning rays of sun. The blade gleamed with a soft, bluish glow, the light distorting against its surface. It was a beautiful katana, Mei had to say. Long, smooth and deadly sharp with a decorated tsuba, showing a cherry blossom design. The tsuka ito was soft, a delicate pink color, reminding Mei of sakura petals in the spring. There were three bells hanging off the end of it, gently jiggling whenever Norio waved his sword. The sheath was as beautiful as the impressive blade. It showed a traditionally drawn sakura tree, which wrapped from the top towards the bottom, accented even more by the black background. It was no wonder that Norio was obsessed with his sword.

"Shall I make some breakfast?" Asked Mei, grinning.

"Please don't." Responded the blond instantly.

"I guess I'll cook then?" Tsubaki had joined them, smiling cheerfully, as usual.

"Please no!" The other two teammates responded in unison immediately with varying degrees of worry.

"We want to be able to participate in the exams, for Kami's sake…" Grumbled Norio as he settled Sakurahime on his lap once more, taking a cotton ball to keep preparing the blade. He was a bit too excited for the bloody exams, which worried Mei a little. She was getting used to his thirst for battle, though.

"Here." Yanomira's voice came from the door as she entered. "I'll save you from Sentarō -kun's deadly cooking." The heavily pregnant woman grinned wide from the door, her hands willed with groceries. Tsubaki and Mei rushed to help her, the kunoichi catching an arm and the shinobi going for the bags.

"Mou, Yano-sensei! You're not supposed to strain yourself!" The girl complained, helping her sensei to a comfortable chair and then going to get a glass of water.

"Walking about is good for me." Countered the stubborn Jōnin.

"Not while carrying all these." Tsubaki countered, arranging the food on the counter and in the fridge. He came into the living room, lowering four containers onto the coffee table gently. "You need to take care of yourself, sensei." The boy sat on the floor, like his teacher always asked them to do.

"Sen-chan is right." Mei brought a glass of water and made her sensei take a sip.

"You two are impossible." Smiled Yanomira. "So, shall we eat your last meal? I got take-out for this special occasion! Extra spicy for Sentarō-kun, of course."

"Last meal?" Mumbled Norio to Mei in a distrustful tone while Tsubaki rejoiced over his spicy food. But, despite the words, neither of them thought that it would be their final breakfast together.

* * *

It was not what Mei expected it to be. Then again, she didn't really have a margin to compare it with. She had only had one exam in Kirigakure. Her graduation exam. She could still remember it. It was similar to the old days, when she hadn't even been born, when graduating had meant that you had to kill your fellow student. Now, it was a simple battle until one dropped. Mei had managed to somehow win it. She had ended up in the hospital after that, though. Her grandmother had come to pick her up. The old woman hadn't been too proud of the state of her grandchild. Heck, her grandmother wasn't too happy about the fact that Mei wanted to be a kunoichi. Perhaps that had something to do with her own past as a ninja?

But, this was most definitely different. The group of Genin had been directed to the room 301 in the Academy building, for what Mei could only guess would be further instructions. She caught sight of a couple of Kusagakure shinobi that looked especially menacing. Mei glanced at Norio. He never passed up a challenge and those three were dripping with killing intent. The blond had his hands buried deep in the pockets of his grey and red hoodie. He was smirking.

"Norio-kun." The young kunoichi warned, snaking her arm through his and pulling him along. Tsubaki had left them behind, his head buried in a book. "I'm sure that you will have a chance during the exam to rip them apart." She attempted to comfort the disgruntled swordsman.

"I won't rip them apart, Mei." The boy clarified. He smirked. "I will splatter their blood painting the surroundings crimson as I slice them with Sakurahime." The description obviously brought him joy. "She yearns for scarlet, Mei. She calls out to me, singing for their blood."

"I know, Norio-kun. But, now isn't the time for that."

The classroom 301 was completely normal. Desks, chairs and a blackboard. Nothing special. Well, if you didn't take in the large number of menacing Genin who were waiting in there, full of stress and anxiety. They were about ready to kill each other when the group from Kiri joined them. Mei noticed that the majority of them were from Konoha. But, she couldn't see the friend that she had made a couple days back. The loud and flamboyant shinobi called Naruto.

"Will it start already?" Grumbled Norio from his seat at the end of the long desk, his leg bouncing up and down. He was glaring at the entrance, as if daring it to open once more.

"Calm down, Norio." Scolded Tsubaki without even raising his eyes from the book. "Your blood thirst is egging him on and I really don't want to get into a row with that guy." The raven still had a smile on his face, but it wasn't cheerful. It was a cautious expression. Mei looked to the side, searching for the source of Tsubaki's worrying. And boy, did he stand out. It was a redheaded shinobi from Sunagakure with a large gourd on his back. He didn't look too friendly.

"I agree." Mei commented, wondering just how long she would last against the boy. He seemed strong. And bloodthirsty. That was never a good combination, as she had learned with her numerous quarrels with Norio during training.

"Psht." Exhaled the swordsman in complete annoyance. "I just want this blasted thing to start already." A thud from Tsubaki's side made both of them turn. The young shinobi was asleep on his book. "At least he's sitting down this time." Grumbled Norio.

It was then that their attention was drawn to the front of the classroom. A member of the group of rather flamboyantly dressed shinobi, who had been chatting loudly for a while, burst into a loud yell. Mei grinned at the sight, and even more at the words, recognizing her new friend, Uzumaki Naruto, fairly easily. After all, there was no way that one could mistake that loud voice coupled with that orange jumpsuit. But, it didn't seem that the other Genin shared her humor.

"Shall I give him a taste?" Norio smirked, reaching back towards Sakurahime.

"That's the friend that I made, Norio-chan!" Mei exclaimed happily. "Remember, the one who treated me to ramen?"

"Psht." Norio exclaimed. "We aren't here to make friends, Mei. Don't be naïve." But, he didn't draw Sakurahime. He didn't even pull her off his back.

A pressure appeared. From the back, a little behind them. Mei tensed. "They're gonna move." Came Tsubaki's voice. He was still lying on the book, but he wasn't asleep, nor relaxed. He was ready to fight.

"Cheeky vermin from Otogakure." Commented Norio. "I can pick a bone with them for that thing yesterday, no?" Ah, Mei thought, remembering the incident from the day before. They had been casually walking down the streets of Konoha, attempting to locate the infamous souvenir shop which they had researched before the trip, when they met the group from Oto. The trio of rather arrogant and menacing teens had picked a fight with them, by insulting Kiri. Needless to say, it had been Mei who had managed to stop Norio and Tsubaki from engaging in a battle.

"I'm right behind you." Tsubaki agreed, now grinning as well. The shinobi from Otogakure moved. Mei could sense them perfectly, speeding through the classroom, in between the tables, towards the front. She caught the strap of her plain messenger bag with her hand, squeezing. If Tsubaki or Norio attacked, so would she. She wasn't too keen on the idea, but she was a kunoichi.

The air shifted right next to her, on Norio's side, two kunai flying forward and a body following them. The Oto ninja was passing right next to their seat, his weapons already flying. Norio's smirk widened and he extended Sakurahime just enough to trip the shinobi. The cool and rather menacing entrance of the Oto ninja was tarnished when he flew, face first into the floor. His teammate clashed with the silver haired Konoha Genin who had been yapping about villages and the Chūnin Exam.

"Who the fuck did that?!" Turned the spiky haired shinobi, getting up from his position on the floor. His eyes searched through the crowd. He seemed ready to kill someone.

"Oh man!" Norio got up, his hands away from Sakurahime's strap, as if he hadn't moved the sword at all. "That was a pretty nasty fall. Are you alright?" All the bloodlust from before was gone from the blond. Now, this was why Mei knew that Norio would be a dangerous enemy. He was able to completely switch his persona into a harmless boy when he wanted. But, there wasn't a person who knew him better than Mei. She knew that his cute teenager act was exactly that. An act. He hadn't meant a word he'd said to the Oto shinobi. No, Norio loved to toy with his prey.

"Was it you?! I'll teach you not to mess with Oto shinobi you Kiri scum!" The humiliated Genin had put his hands up towards Norio, as if he was going to push the blond. Tsubaki lowered his book. Mei glanced down, noticing that her teammate's leg was raised just a little bit of the ground. He was ready. But, before anything could happen, a puff of smoke exploded in front of the board, a Jōnin shinobi appearing with a yell.

"Silence, degenerates!" He was a rather mean looking middle-aged man, with a bandana-like, modified Konoha hitai-ate wrapping around his head. But, what really caught Mei's attention were the two long scars which wrapped around his face. He had a whole squad of Chūnin and Jōnin behind him, ready to start the Exam. The man introduced himself as Morino Ibiki, their first proctor, scolded the Otogakure group for being too eager and began explaining the rules of the test.

"Tch." Norio plonked down into his seat, looking rather disgruntled. The whole 'sunshine and flowers' aura was gone from around him. "I would've liked him to have been at least five more minutes late. It's not a Chūnin Exam if it doesn't start with a bit of bloodshed, don't you think?"

"He said that killing is forbidden, Norio-chan." Mei scolded in a whisper. "Please pay attention." The swordsman simply huffed, still not too happy about the lack of violence. Thankfully, Tsubaki intervened as well.

"I'm sure that there will be a time when you can let loose a bit, Norio-kun. For now, let us lie low." Then, the raven stood and headed for the desk in the front of the classroom, to leave his application and take a seat number. The rest of the team followed.

Mei looked at her card once more. 24. Well, it wasn't her lucky number, but it wasn't her unlucky number either. Not that she really believed in luck anyways. The young kunoichi headed for the desk around the middle of the classroom, finding the number on the back of her seat. She plopped down and then looked about to find her teammates. Norio was in the front, right under the proctor's nose. Mei could already smell the trouble which this would bring. Tsubaki, on the other hand, was a couple of rows behind her, and they were almost directly aligned. Well, there was going to be no cheating in between them, the girl figured.

"Excuse me, that's my seat." Mei looked up to see a young Konoha Genin with a nin-dog asking her to move. He towered over her from his position and looked rather intimidating with his sharp eyes. He seemed fairly familiar, but she couldn't place him.

"Of course, here you go." The girl got up, pushing her chair in so the shinobi could pass behind her. He sat down right next to her, grinning confidently. Mei sat down again. She couldn't help herself, her eyes wondered a couple of times more to the nin-dog. There weren't many dogs on Teichi no Shima. If you could keep an animal, which was rare because of the venomous inhabitants of the swamp, you would have a cow or a goat, which you could get produce from. Dogs were a luxury. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Asked the kunoichi finally, her heart beating a tad faster. She wasn't too good with making conversation with those she didn't know.

"What?" The shinobi turned to her now.

"Your nin-dog, is it male or female?" The girl repeated, feeling her cheeks blush a bit under the boy's stare. He wasn't shy, that was for sure.

"Oh, you mean Akamaru? He's male, of course." Grinned the boy. He had a pretty smile, Mei concluded. Pure, just like Naruto's. Those were rare in Kiri. Not a lot of shinobi even smiled there. "Do you like dogs?"

"Mhm." The kunoichi smiled. The dog yipped, obviously joining in on the conversation. "What did he say?" Mei wondered.

"He says that you smell really sweet." Then the boy leaned over, his nose coming closer to her neck. He sniffed and Mei felt the exhale of his hot breath on her skin. "He's right." The boy pulled back, brushing one finger under his nose, as if to get rid of the strong scent. "I've never smelled that kind of perfume… Is it a new brand?"

"I don't wear perfume." Mei shook her head. "Maybe it's my shampoo? Strawberry?"

The boy sniffed once more. "No. That smell's faint." Then, the proctor hit the board with a piece of chalk calling out for attention and the two stopped talking. Mei listened to the rules, her mind reeling. The explanation was pretty simple. In fact, the first exam seemed pretty simple. There was a round of whispering when the Genin heard that they would be graded based on their collective score, not individual. Mei looked behind her, catching Tsubaki's eye. The boy gave her a closed eyed smile and a small wave. He was confident.

Well, of course he was. In their team, Tsubaki was the one who knew the most theory-wise. Heck, more than often, Norio and Mei had gone to him during their Academy days and asked for help. She didn't doubt that the paper test would be a breeze for him.

Next came the rules about cheating. Mei smirked. So, that was it, she figured. If there were points being deducted on cheating, that was a clue! A Chūnin is a person who is supposed to strategize and make the mission possible to accomplish in any way possible. Her mission was to pass the paper test, using any means necessary. So, she could cheat all she wanted if she didn't get caught. Mei smiled a bit, looking about. She needed a good target first.

The proctor explained the zero points rule and the last question after that and said that the exam would last over forty-five minutes. Then, he signaled for the beginning of the test just as the smallest hand on the clock hit noon. Everyone turned their papers noisily, grabbing their pencils. Mei wrote her name first and then paused.

Out of the three of us, Tsubaki is the smartest. He won't have a problem with the questions, no matter how hard they were. Norio. She looked to the front, seeing the swordsman reading his test slowly. He was in the first row. Damned first row. He won't be able to cheat. _I'll need to gather the answers and get them to him without being noticed_. Knowing him, he won't do anything reckless, since it's a paper test. No blood, no problems.

 _First thing's first_ , Mei grinned, _get the answers for myself_. She closed her eyes, allowing her ears to take over. She wasn't too good at using her other senses and preferred her vision, but this required a gentle touch. She couldn't afford to lose any points. After all, out of the three of them, she was the most likely to fail this part. Tsubaki could solve the questions, Norio wouldn't bother and she was the one who needed to cheat. Thankfully, she had been in this situation a lot. Having grown up on Teichi no Shima, where there was a single, mountain-like hill where the Temple was, she had been in a sightless fog zone a lot. It was a point where the clouds touched the mountain, making it hard to see. There, you had to rely on your hearing not to fall into a trap of one of the venomous inhabitants of the forest around the path.

She could hear a couple of shinobi writing furiously. The closest one was a couple of rows down. Mei opened her eyes and placed her hands under the desk. A couple of subtle seals later, she bit into her thumb and brushed it against the scorpion hairclip on a strand of her hair which fell in the front, right next to her ear. The small creature came alive instantly, slipping down the strand of long, blonde hair. It slipped on the floor and began crawling forwards.

She was set. All she needed to do now was wait.

She could feel the scorpion moving. It was a strange feeling, one that she couldn't really describe. It was like you had a sixth, detachable finger, which you could send anywhere. She couldn't really feel the scorpion. It was more of an awareness of his position and thought. Well, not that the creature had much thought. Its simple mind revolved around danger, food and mating. So, sending it off to do some simple work as seeing wasn't too difficult. Not that it had been easy to learn.

Her grandmother had attempted to get to the root of the abnormality once they had noticed it. It had all started with Mei's untampered curiosity. During one of her exploration expeditions she'd wandered off to the village in the valley of the mountain. There, while she was eating some vendor food, she dangled her feet off the docks in a moment of foolishness. It had taken only seconds for one of the most dangerous predators in the murky marshes to see her moving calves as suitable prey.

It was like being sliced with a kunai. A small tear in her leg, then sharp burning pain which spread up her knee, thigh and finally to her torso. Her head had swum, and she had barely registered the spiked fish letting go of her when one of the locals slammed it with a long stick. The rest was a blur. She woke up in a delirious state as the same man was pulling her up the mountain, trying desperately to get her own legs to support her weight. Then, her vision had gone black again until her grandmother's face, twisted with worry and concentration had appeared above her. It was days later, after extensive treatment, that Mei had heard the whole story of her near-demise.

After the clawfish had taken a piece of Mei, the young girl had been injected with the deadly venom. And, there was no known cure. It was up to the immune system to fight it off on its own. The locals had seen the incident and reacted quickly. Luckily, they recognized her telltale gloves which were only used at the Shitchi Temple and took her there. The poison had made her black out and had tortured her for five long nights. Mei's grandmother had chanced it on the second day, opting to introduce a venom of a scorpion, which was known to feed on clawfish, into her granddaughter's system. The nightcrawler scorpion hunted the fish on a daily basis, surviving its poison. By some miracle, the combination of toxins had worked, jumpstarting the girl's chakra and giving her a unique ability. She was, to other nightcrawlers, one of them.

Mei had spent hours and days learning to communicate with the deadly crawlers. But, once she had managed to make them do her bidding, she was set. She could seal them and unseal them into things at will, make them do simple tasks and use them in battle. It was a handy skill, which had earned her her nickname in Kiri: Dokuhime. Poison Princess. She didn't really approve of it, but she didn't dislike it either. It was rather flattering.

The scorpion had arrived to his destination. Now came the tricky part. She needed to allow it to use her, human memory, to remember the answers of the test. The kunoichi flared her chakra, performing handseals once again. She tuned out the ticking of the clock, the sounds of pencils writing furiously, the heavy breathing of the shinobi behind her, the soft yips of the nin-dog, Akamaru, and the only thing which remained in her ears was the pumping of her own heart, steady and calm. She was ready.

The information tickled through her connection with the tiny scorpion like a steady flow of a river. The creature's understanding of writing was vague, so it could only describe the bumps on the paper, the way it was scratched by the pencil. But, that was enough for Mei. She traced her own pencil across the paper, allowing it to write the same answers. In a span of ten to fifteen minutes, she had all of the answers.

 _Next is Norio_ , thought the young kunoichi. She recalled the scorpion, allowing it to pick its own way back to her. She needed to do something else. With deft fingers, the girl reached into her bag, her digits slipping in between the pages of her notebook. She squeezed and twisted them, muffling the sound of ripping. When she brought her hand up, there was a small piece of blank paper in between her middle and forefinger. Mei read through the answers for the first time, copying them as swiftly and as tiny as possible.

They were passing this part.

Together.

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 **That's all folks!  
Stay tuned :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello and welcome to another chapter!**

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 **My thanks goes out to my new beta, Vampy Kitten, for the meticulous work on my crazy writing.**

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 **Also, thanks to everyone who followed and favorited the story! Especially the lovely Stickaroo, At Night We Rise and Lunas13 for their encouraging reviews! You guys make me keep writing.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 5: The Konoha way exam**

The proctor called for attention.

Mei wasn't bothered at all. She had sent her answers to Norio over five minutes ago and he had begun writing. She couldn't turn to find Tsubaki, but she didn't doubt that he was already done. They were passing. She knew it.

The proctor began failing teams. The classroom had exploded into an atmosphere of nervousness and anxiety. You could feel the tension and practically cut it with a knife. The Konoha Chūnin at the end of their row kept writing on his board, grinning at the nervous Genin. One of the failed Suna applicants yelled out in rage, but quickly got pinned to the wall by one of the examiners.

 _Well, well, this exam is getting better and better,_ thought Mei, smiling softly. She had had her doubts at the beginning. After all, Kiri wasn't too big on paper tests. They preferred to stick you into a real-life situation and see how you dealt with it, using the theory which you had learned. So, Mei and her team didn't have much experience with paper tests. But, this wasn't a paper test. Not really, anyway. It was a mission. A mission which they would succeed.

The boy with the nin-dog next to her leaned back in his chair, his hands going behind his head in a relaxed motion. He was done as well. Mei couldn't help herself but look over at him from the corner of her eye. He had upside-down, red triangles on his face which drew her attention. Not to mention the dog. Now, that thing was adorable, if you asked the kunoichi. Its tiny eyes kept going to her, as if it were watching out for its master. That was adorable. And very useful.

The last question came rather quickly. The rules were simple. Take the question and risk your team's failure for eternity or quit now and take the Exam again. The nin-dog shinobi next to her complained about the rules loudly. But, Mei just froze, her mind reeling.

 _Tsubaki will be able to answer. Norio, well, he's stupid, but in a pinch, he finds his way. He isn't good at memorizing. But, he knows what to do. He will be fine. He's battle-smart._

 _It's me. I'm the one that could fail. I'm no good at theory._

The people in the classroom began raising their hands, quitting. They, along with their teammates left. Mei clenched her teeth, her hands gripped tightly in her lap. _Should I risk it?_ She didn't know. She didn't want to harm Tsubaki or Norio. _Never being able to take the exams again. That's a pretty big loss._ But, rising in rank. That was also a pretty big win. She didn't know.

 _Relax,_ she told herself. Mei closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the tension leaving her body slowly. _It's a trick. The whole paper test is a trick. There is a trick here, too. There has to be._ She opened her eyes once more, focusing on the back of Norio's head. The ponytail in the back, where he had tied his long bangs, was standing still. Completely still. He was relaxed. The hilt of Sakurahime could be seen, its bells unmoving.

 _This is a mission._ Mei concluded. _Yanomira-sensei always says, a nervous shinobi is a dead shinobi. You must remain calm during a mission. Calm. Cool. Collected. And then, you reach your goal._ She had no more hesitations. She would accomplish her mission at any expense. She would take the question, even if she was doomed to fail her team as eternal Genin.

Then, in the complete silence of the tension filled room, Naruto's shaky hand went up in the air. He shouted out, yelling about his dream of becoming the Hokage. This wasn't the first time that Mei had heard about his determination. No, he had told her the day he met her what he wanted to do. The young kunoichi wasn't really sure if it was possible, though.

In Kiri, the Mizukage was a young man, some years older than Mei herself and a terrifying shinobi in battle. He was called Yagura and he was a master of every jutsu and weapon that the kunoichi could think of. To top it off, he was also a Jinchuriki. Now, when you took in the sheer might the title of Mizukage meant and added it to the unbeatable shinobi that was Yagura, you could imagine how high he was ranked in Mei's head. Thinking that Naruto, this cute, outspoken and flashy boy could possibly become as fearsome as the leader of the Bloody Mist… Well, it didn't sit quite well with the kunoichi.

But, Naruto seemed to have something else. There was a certain spark to him, something which the girl couldn't quite explain. In her brief encounter with the boy, she had become drawn to him. He was like the sun, she realized. Warm, honest and welcoming. There wasn't an evil or cunning bone in his body and it was an awfully pleasant change from the deceitful shinobi of Kiri. He reminded her of home, of the Sun Caravan. And, she prayed to whatever Kami was watching over them that they allow Naruto to reach his goals.

The proctor spoke once more, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I like your determination. Then…" He looked around the classroom, catching Mei's curious eye for a second. "For those of you who are still here…" The shinobi smirked. "The first exam… You have passed it!"

Mei heard the nin-dog next to her, Akamaru, yip in joy. She turned to face his owner, who was grinning about as widely as she was. "Congratulations." She whispered.

The boy offered her a nod, his grin further widening. "You too." Then, his grin slowly got smaller. "What's your name? I'm Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba. The greatest Genin in Konohagakure." He nodded at her, leaning back a bit and tilting his chin slightly up in a very animalistic show of dominance over her. "But everybody calls me Kiba-sama." Then, he smirked.

"Yamamoto Mei, from Kirigakure. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kiba- _sama_." She couldn't suppress the smile at his arrogance. It was kind of cute and endearing, knowing that she could probably paralyze him in seconds.

His expression changed when he heard where she was from. "Kiri, eh?" The boy asked. "Is it misty over there?" He asked in a flat tone. Obviously, they had entered hostile territory with their conversation. _Pity,_ Mei thought sadly. He was a cute _and_ smart one. Not to mention the dog. That was rare.

"Quite." She smiled once more, but the conversation was dead. _He has a good sensei,_ figured the girl. If she were teaching Konoha Genin, she would most definitely warn them of Kirigakure. Heck, not only Kiri. She would also tell them to watch out for the Ame shinobi, as they tended to be short-tempered, and the Oto participants, who were rather hostile.

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A written test had been surprising, but intriguing for the first part of the Chūnin Exams. In all honesty, Mei was enjoying herself for the first time in a long time. Exams in Kirigakure were definitely different. Certainly, there was an amount of knowledge which you were expected to have. However, Kiri mostly focused on the most practical application of said knowledge. She supposed that Konoha had done that, as well, but in a very mild and kind form. They weren't preparing their shinobi properly, in her opinion.

Norio had agreed, quite vocally, as soon as they'd left the classroom.

"This is bull." He commented, not bothering to lower his voice. A couple of shinobi around them gave him odd looks or the occasional stink eye. He simply huffed. "I don't have time to be playing hide and seek with examiners. They should've just given us a chance to extract the information from the Chūnin themselves." The sword wielding youth gave a grin which promised bloodshed.

"If we were home, this test probably would've been arranged like that." Tsubaki agreed while they followed the crowd of examinees to the next site. "An exam disguised as a mission, for example?" He asked Mei. The girl nodded.

"A chance to extract information from a Chūnin as a mission would've certainly been more educational." She mused. "But, I kind of enjoyed this sort of exam!" She gave a wide grin to her teammates.

"You're not supposed to enjoy it, ugly." Norio grumbled. Mei disregarded his comment. "Thanks for the note, too." He said in a low tone when Tsubaki moved away. The kunoichi gave him a grin and a nod. The two followed their teammate in silence for a while. As soon as the sunlight outside of the Academy hit their faces, Norio spoke up.

"What were the instructions again?" He wondered. True enough, Mei wasn't surprised that he hadn't been paying attention. Knowing her teammate, he'd probably been too busy checking out the good competition. Which, unfortunately, didn't mean anything good.

"You're a disgrace." Supplied Tsubaki in a dry tone. Mei slapped a hand over Norio's mouth before he could retaliate.

"Mitarashi-san said to meet her tomorrow at a location provided by our sensei." She mediated, stopping their oncoming fight. "She also told us that half of the teams would fail." Mei thought back to the teacher and her entrance. She had been flashy, scantily dressed, and positively malicious with her killing intent. Mei had felt right at home with that smirk which promised blood. She looked forward to the next stage of the Chūnin Exams.

"I'll do them a solid, alright." Norio promised, his long fingers caressing the strap which held Sakurahime in place.

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"So, how was it?" Asked Yanomira, seated in a crisscross position on the floor of their hotel room. She had a wide grin on her face and was eating something messily with her chopsticks. It didn't look even one bit appealing.

"Boring." Norio sat down, too, laying Sakurahime at his side to grab some food.

"Enlightening." Tsubaki chimed in, leaving for the bathroom.

"Friendly!" Mei smiled, nudging Norio to the side in order to get seated.

"Ah." Yanomira gave a nod, then shrugged. "Well, that's Konoha for you. Virgins, milk, and honey." She cackled as she dug into her meal further. Norio stopped picking from the various bowls and containers on the table to give her a nasty grimace.

"Everything's about virgins with you." He growled out, settling for rice, chicken and some soy sauce. He also went back and forth, placing a few vegetables on his plate. "I bet that you were a virgin before you got knocked up."

"At least I'm not still a virgin." Yanomira let out a bark of a laughter, wiggling her eyebrows at the boy. The common reaction ensued, as it always did. Norio blushed, his neck and ears going completely red and he jumped up, yelling obscenities. But, Mei didn't have the strength to deal with the troublesome duo this time. Instead, she picked which food she wanted and ate in complete peace, ignoring the fact that Yanomira was stopping Norio from attacking her with his sword using a bare foot planted on his chest.

"What did she say this time?" Tsubaki asked, sitting down next to the girl and grabbing his own food.

"The usual."

"Ah."

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By dinnertime Mei couldn't stand the arguing anymore. If it wasn't Yanomira who was provoking Norio, it was Tsubaki giving him subtle nudges towards the land of angry. So, Mei packed her necessities in the beige bag, including her notebooks, some pens, and a few snacks, and headed out despite the lowering sun. The weather outside was nice, unlike in Kiri. Mei enjoyed walking in relative silence, not paying attention to the chatter of the locals around her and simply thinking.

In Konoha, she was often reminded of her early childhood which only came to her in dreams. She remembered the sun and the spring full of butterflies and the yipping dogs running around the caravan. She recalled the smiling face of her mother as she sewed new stitches into a masterpiece on cloth once again. As Mei walked down the streets, tasting the air and feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin she couldn't help but smile to herself softly.

Yes, she could imagine herself living here.

Then again, her mind wandered back to Kiri. Despite the lure of the warmth and brightness of the sun there was something in the darkness of the Mizu no Kuni's mist. There was a mystery, a danger, something which kept her always alert, always alive, with her blood rushing through her veins like an untamed river. The familiar faces full of love, excitement and occasionally a hint of danger were her family. Her home. In the end, despite her love for the sun and the brightness of a land such as Konoha, she wasn't ready to let go of Kiri. And perhaps she never would be.

"Leaving again, Yamamoto-san?" Asked the Chūnin at the gates.

"Only for a few hours, Kaname-san." Mei offered a smile as she signed the papers, leaving her official permit there as well. In case she didn't return before nightfall, she wouldn't be allowed back into the village, or granted permission to participate in the rest of the Chūnin Exams. Those were the rules which had been explained to her on the first day she'd left the village borders.

"Take care!" The Chūnin sent her off with a wave and Mei offered a small nod and wave of her own. She went right after leaving behind the large gates, straight into the forest. There, she'd already learned one path, off the usual road, by heart. It took her to the base of the mountain where there were plenty of small and large caves she still hadn't dared to explore. However, on the outskirts of the entrances she'd found a number of plants of unknown origin, and she'd begun meticulously collecting them.

Once Mei found her spot, right at the mouth of one of the larger caves, she set down her bag, took out her notebook and collecting kit and began her work. There were a few flowers in deep tones of purple and blue which had caught her attention the last time. The stems were dark green, with small thorns at the base and prickly leaves. Today was the day she would collect those and then look them up in an encyclopedia when she had the time. She simply needed to use the remainder of her daylight well.

"You do know it isn't smart to be wondering about a hostile village's border this late, don't you?" A familiar voice caught Mei's attention just as she was about to cut the plant at the root. She didn't turn around, but took the plant off its spot and examined it in with hands. She knew exactly who was standing behind her.

"I can take care of myself." Mei supplied in a conversational tone. Somehow, she was happy that the Konoha shinobi didn't have his former flat tone of caution any longer when speaking with her.

"With your back wide open?" He laughed. "I had no idea Kiri shinobi were this naïve." Mei whirled around, a hard look in her eyes. She stood, still holding the unknown plant, facing the boy head on. Her eyes met his wide ones, shocked, in a hard glare. They were almost the same height.

"You may say whatever you wish about me but don't you dare insult my village." She growled. "Next time, it will be the last thing you ever do."

"Oh?" He smirked, recovered and put his hands up in mock surrender. "Meant no offence." Inuzuka Kiba had a boyish charm to him, something that Mei was famously weak to. Without his hoodie from this morning's exam, she placed him easily enough. He was the boy whom she'd seen walking the small white dog during her trips outside of the village. And, in his white shirt with the Konoha symbol he looked damn handsome. But, Mei forced herself to look beyond that. She wasn't staring down a good-looking boy. She was glaring at a shinobi who had insulted her village. Before she could speak, though, he glanced down at her hands, spotting the flower. "You do know that one's poisonous, don't you? Wouldn't recommend any form of tea or bouquet with it."

"That's quite alright." The kunoichi felt her fight leave her. Even without a direct apology she could tell that the boy wouldn't be hostile for the time being. "I was just adding it to my collection." She placed it carefully in a blue notebook, in between two empty, thick pages. "It looks like milk thistle, though."

"Cave thistle." Supplied Kiba. He crouched next to her, pointing out to the leaves of the flower. "See there, the stem is a bit different." Mei's hand brushed against his as she traced the edge of it. "It's soft, unlike the leaves of the regular flower. This comes from their preferred area of growth." He pointed to the cave. "And it tells you that they're poisonous."

"I see." Mei hummed. "What are the symptoms of ingesting one?" She asked, turning to the boy. A blush spread across his cheeks at the close proximity and the way she looked at him, wide eyes and full attention.

"Er, f-fever." Kiba nodded, then shook his head. "High fever and a nasty rash."

"I see." Mei jotted the notes down in her notebook behind the flower prepared for pressing. "What kind of a rash?"

"Rough and yellowish." He told her, watching as she made her notes in delicate shorthand. The words spilled onto the page with impressive speed, all characters perfectly curved. He looked up from the page, taking in the girl who was writing her notes with absolute concentration. She didn't look like a typical shinobi from Kirigakure. Most of them were dark haired with pale faces and small, distrustful eyes. Well, at least that's what Kiba had gathered from the numerous wanted posters in the bingo books. This Kiri kunoichi was a blonde, with brown doe eyes which took the breath out of his lungs when she stared at him. She was bad news, he had decided before. Though, Akamaru didn't seem to mind her too much. And Kiba always went along with Akamaru's instincts.

"Fascinating." He heard her murmur as she wrote, taking in the area where the plant grew naturally. In the moment, Kiba decided that he wanted to know more about this young girl.

"Are you also interested in mushrooms?" He asked, almost slapping himself when he realized how that sounded. But, her head simply perked up from the notebook.

"Anything that doesn't grow in Mizu no Kuni, really." She smiled. Again, it was like she'd wrapped a hand around his throat and squeezed. He wasn't getting enough air and he was pretty certain that his face was on fire.

"Well, why don't you let me give you the grand tour of the caves, then?" Kiba asked, hopping up onto his feet with little effort. "Akamaru and I always walk here. I know the area pretty well, if I dare say so."

"Lead on, Kiba- _sama._ " The Kiri kunoichi stuffed her belongings back into her bag and slung it across her torso. She seemed ready for action.

"Ready to be amazed?" Kiba asked as they headed into the cave with him leading. Akamaru had wandered off, but he wasn't worried. The pup was both cautious and capable. He would find his way back to his master if needed.

"Maybe?" The kunoichi smiled with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Fair enough." Kiba laughed. "I hope I will change that reaction with this little exploration adventure." And with a cocky grin, he grabbed her hand so they wouldn't get separated and led her further into the cave, pleased to see the light blush on her cheeks at the overly familiar gesture.

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Mei wasn't certain how much time had passed. But, it seemed to fly with Kiba by her side. He'd led her into the mouth of one cave, taking her from plant to plant, from mushroom to mushroom and from stone to stone. He had a story for each and every one of them, much like she did for her own collection. He had told her about his walks with Akamaru and how they sought out the different plants with healing properties and good training spots among the rocks. They'd emerged at one point from the winding tunnels of the caves inside the mountain, only for Kiba to take her hand again, helping her down some traitorous terrain and into another. Mei had looked up at the sky then, worried that the sun was almost behind the horizon. But, the promise of more samples for her notebook was too good to pass up.

Kiba had had many questions for her. He wanted to know about her life, her team and Kirigakure. Mei had been careful with her words, no matter how at ease he made her feel. She'd carefully told him the barest of details with plenty of stories which made it interesting. She'd spoken about Tsubaki and Norio and how they always bickered. She'd also told him about their sensei and how she got her nickname Yanomira. They even exchanged some stories from their Academy days, agreeing that some of those classes did more harm than good, especially the ones heavy on theory. By the time Kiba suggested they go back, her bag was heavy with samples and her cheeks hurt from laughing at various funny stories. If you asked her, she only vaguely remembered where they'd found most of the plants.

"Here we are." Kiba led her by the hand again, a contact Mei had gotten used to and welcomed at that point. "I didn't realize it was this late." He frowned. "We should get back to rest up for the exam tomorrow." When he whistled in one long, shrill tone for his nin-dog was the moment Mei realized that it was dark out. And dark meant that she'd missed her deadline to check back into Konoha. They wouldn't let her in. For a brief moment, she looked at Kiba, wondering if that had been his plan all along. Get rid of the competition through disqualification. But, from what she'd learned of him, and she'd found out plenty, he would rather meet her on the battlefield than disqualify her.

"Kiba!" Mei called out, grabbing his sleeve and initiating contact for the first time that day. He turned with a quizzical looked to see her worried face. "I missed my check-in! They're going to disqualify me from the exams!" Kiba's eyes widened.

"When was it?" He immediately asked.

"Sundown." The Konoha shinobi bit his lip, glancing around. He made a decision and a determined look came onto his boyish face. Once again, he took her hand, this time with more urgency and a tight grip.

"This way, we'll take a shortcut and wait for Akamaru at the gates." And he ignored the steep road down the mountain which would've taken them to the left, instead heading straight down the rocks. Mei pushed chakra into her feet, feeling them stick perfectly to the cliff. Kiba took her straight down with unwavering speed and determined footsteps, obviously knowing which rocks were safe to step on. She blindly followed behind. By the time they reached the trees, the strap of her bag had left a sore spot on her shoulder, heavy from all the things she'd placed there.

Kiba didn't stop, however. He pushed on, pulling Mei behind him by the hand. They jumped from branch to branch, perfectly in sync, feet filled with chakra. She recalled a time when she'd been poisoned during a mission. Then, Norio had taken her hand in a similar fashion, pulling her behind him and forcing her to stay conscious with unusually kind words. But, it was a bit different. Where Norio's hands, rough from training with Sakurahime, had held her wrist in a vice grip, Kiba's, obviously shinobi palms with the callouses from numerous kunai, gently took her hand into his. He never squeezed too hard, as if afraid to hurt her.

Mei knew than that she never wanted to let go of a hand like that.

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 **That's all folks!**

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 **Onto the reviews:**

 **Stickaroo: Thanks for the wonderful review! I'm always happy to see your feedback :D  
I wonder what it that he smelled… Then again, Mei does work with poisons a lot… Better run or get an antidote at the ready!  
Hope you enjoyed!**

 **At Night We Rise: Thanks for the feedback! I'll do my best to keep my writing steady and not trail off into weirdland where I'm the only one who gets my notes xD Hope you enjoyed :D**

 **Lunas13: Thank you sooo much for the review! Makes me super happy to know that people are enjoying my work :D  
I'm a bit of a characterization junkie, so I love delving into different OCs and canons. I'm glad that it's enjoyable for my readers, too :D I'll do my best not to make Mei too weird with her quirks hahahaha  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

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 **I'll be looking forward to hearing from you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to another chapter. This is the time when the author would like to sincerely apologize for taking ages to get back into the fandom and update**

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 **Chapter 6: Critical**

The giant gates of Konohagakure came into view.

As welcoming and open as they seemed during the day, right then, in the darkening skies they seemed menacing. And, Mei was pretty certain that her perspective had a lot to do with the fact that she was unlikely to go through those doors. But, Kiba didn't stop. With his tight yet gentle grip on her hand he pulled her into the road and they rushed through the open gates.

The Chūnin at the stand stood, eyeing them.

"Hello Kiba-kun." He greeted, then his eyes settled onto the Kiri hitai-ate which Mei had around the strap of her bag. It wasn't Kaname-san, whom she'd become friendly with, which worried her. "Identify yourself." The Chūnin demanded in a stern tone, fixing the kunoichi with a glare.

"Yamamoto Mei, Genin of Kirigakure here for the Chūnin Exams." She spoke, breathless. "My paperwork was turned in at the desk through proper channels." But, the Chūnin's glare didn't waver.

"And if so, you well know I can't let you into the village." He told her. "You're past curfew for foreign shinobi." Mei felt the steadily growing dread in her stomach punch her in the gut like one of Tsubaki's kicks. "Your belongings will be delivered to you outside of the village borders and your team will be notified of their disqualification." The Chūnin sat back down, pulling out a form from his desk and starting to fill it.

"Sasakibe-san, I will vouch for her whereabouts for the whole evening." Kiba spoke up before Mei could. And, she was pretty certain that she had no idea what to say, after all. Most that she could do at this point for cry in frustration. "After the Chūnin Exams, Mei and I met in the woods in order to give her a tour of the local caves." Kiba kept going, catching his breath in between. "It was entirely my fault that she missed curfew."

"Kiba-kun…" The Chūnin shook his head. "That doesn't really affect the protocol. I can't allow a foreign shinobi to enter a village after sunset." Mei felt Kiba's grip become a tad firmer.

"Then you will have to disqualify two teams." He told the fellow leaf shinobi in a rough voice. "Fill in a withdrawal form for me, as well." Mei gasped.

"No, Kiba-san, you can't!" She pulled away from his hand, going in front of him and grasping his shoulders. "You can't forfeit because I lost track of time. It's foolish!" Kiba, however, grinned at her.

"Not at all." He told her. "A part of Chūnin Exams is experiencing the culture of another village, no? This is the culture of mine. We stand by our friends, for better or worse." Mei, despite herself, felt her eyes widen and then sting with the telltale tears gathering there. She pushed them back with a couple of rapid blinks.

"Kiba-kun." The Chūnin broke their moment. "If you would wait here a moment." And he gathered the paper he'd been writing on, along with something from the side and vanished in a puff of smoke. Now, left alone, Kiba slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I hope this works." He mumbled into his palm. Clearly, he hadn't thought his words through.

"Oh God." Mei groaned, her own hands going to her head. She giggled. Kiba gave her an odd look, but when she started full-blown laughing so did he. "Quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Quite." Kiba agreed and the two burst out into another bout of laughter. It was when another puff of smoke sounded loudly in the watch booth that they tried to compose themselves. Mei found herself biting onto her lower lip as hard as she could.

"Kiba-kun, Yamamoto-kun, the Hokage has allowed you a pardon for this digression." Kiba let out a sigh. "Just make sure that it doesn't happen again." The Chūnin stamped Mei's papers and extended them to her. Kiba was quicker, taking the passport and foreigner's pass with a wide grin.

"Thanks, Sasakibe-san." He nodded. "I'll take good care of this troublemaker, don't worry." Mei playfully slapped his upper arm.

"If anyone's a troublemaker, it's you." She protested.

"I'll second that." Laughed Sasakibe. "Now off with you. I don't want to see you near these gates when it's dark out."

"Yes, sir." Saluted Kiba, grabbing Mei's hand again and leading her further into town. She smiled, allowing him to drag her. "Where are you staying?"

"The Green Leaf Hotel." Mei chimed in.

"Alright, I'll see you off." Kiba decided, taking her through one of the alleys as a shortcut. Mei hadn't dared yet to go through them. While she didn't doubt her skills as a kunoichi to defend herself, she doubted her ability to find her way around. She had never been good with spatial orientation. That was more of Tsubaki's area. Instead, she preferred to follow her team and not venture too much on her own without a map.

"Can we get some food on the way?" Mei asked, spotting a barbecue place on one of the larger streets.

"Sure." Kiba grinned, changing directions.

* * *

Kaede always _knew_ when the Master came home. It was as if someone had woken up an anthill a tad too early. The occupants of the Shitchi Temple rushed around, like headless flies, trying to finish their tasks as soon as possible and then welcome their patriarch home. Knowing the Master, he always brought more work with him whenever he returned from one of his escapades. Hence, it was essential that all the urgent jobs be finished, as quickly as possible.

"Kaede, dear, would you be a sweetheart and get rooms one through five ready?" Her teacher asked her in passing, as they circled around one another, going between occupied rooms quickly. Saeko had her hair pulled back in a tight braid, as usual. There was a fresh bandana tied over the front of her face, keeping out fumes and dust. Only her eyes, brown and focused, peered from above it.

"Yes, sensei." Kaede rushed into the room which her teacher had just exited from, tying her own bandana tightly over her mouth. Inside room number seven, or the sunflower room, there was a young couple. They had been with them for a while now, waiting for the child to come. Saeko had determined that the child still hadn't turned in its mother's stomach. Hence, it would require someone with expertise to watch over the birth carefully. Now that the villagers had called for medical assistance three times because of the flu within the past few days, Kaede and Saeko kept the couple in isolation, careful not to transfer bacteria.

"Good morning, Sachi-san, Taro-san." Kaede bowed politely and brought in a tray of food. The couple looked up at her, the wife welcoming her with a smile. The husband just looked plain exhausted. "I promise that we will let you out of isolation soon. Just a few more days, so that we're certain no more flu patients will be brought in."

"I understand, Kaede-chan." Sachi replied to her with a nod. "You and Saeko-sensei have been most informative and kind with us."

* * *

A loud knock at the front door made Kaede rush to open it. She pulled the shoji to the side, revealing a familiar villager from the settlement at the foot of the mountain. He was drenched in sweat and panting.

"Kōji-kun!" Kaede immediately checked his forehead for a fever and pulled him inside the Temple. "Is it another outbreak of the sweats?" But, the short boy put his hands on Kaede's forearms, stopping her worried fussing.

"Master is back," Kōji sucked in a deep breath. "He's coming up with the help of a few villagers right now," Kaede nodded and pulled the boy to the kitchen table, rushing to give him a glass of water. "Kaede-sensei," Kōji said as soon as he caught his breath a bit. The redhead stopped short, noticing his wide, terrified eyes. "It's bad. The patient Master has... it's really bad." Kaede didn't allow the panic she felt to show on her face. She offered the boy a reassuring, soft smile and nodded.

"Don't you worry, Kōji-kun," the girl said in her usual feathery tone despite the growing urgency she was feeling. "We're going to take care of him regardless of the severity of his injuries." The boy looked a bit more relieved when he heard that, sipping some more water. However, the panic had now passed onto Kaede, like a disease did in the village. As soon as she was out of Kōji's sight, she broke into a run, heading for the furthest room where she knew Saeko was. The girl didn't bother knocking, but burst into the room. "Sensei! Master is coming with a critical!" And everything moved like a lightning-fast, well-oiled machine.

Saeko was quick to prepare a room for their new patient. Everything was sterilized once more, Kaede was running to bring various herbs, pastes, charka replenishers and boiled water, just in case. The Shitchi Temple was buzzing with anticipation, the most practiced action with them. Before fifteen minutes were up, the front door slammed open and in came Master, Saeko's husband, along with about five or so villagers. He was the tallest of them easily, with wide shoulders and a sturdy body. However, his face spoke of a different story. Kaede had come to know those brown eyes to be kind and that full mouth always to be in a welcoming smile. Not even the graying hair or the dirt on the Master's clothing and mud on his pants made him look any less of the kindhearted monk that he was. If anything, they helped. But, that day he looked serious.

"Kaede," the Master asked and she immediately replied.

"The first room is ready." And the flurry of motion continued. The villagers followed the Master's orders to a T, taking the stretcher to the already prepared room. Kaede followed, taking the last couple of things she thought they'd need. When she entered, she could immediately see what had had Kōji so worried. The patient on the stretcher looked like they'd been through a war.

"Jōichirō, why do you always bring the almost hopeless ones to give me a headache?" Saeko entered the room as well, giving her husband a loving smile, which he returned.

"They're never hopeless in your hands, Saessan," he kissed her temples before she shooed both him and the group of villagers out.

"I need a sterile workspace, you're all filthy," she waved them out, "grab refreshments and shower, I'll do my best until then." Once the door closed, the old healer sighed and went to the hooks on the wall, right next to the worktable. She grabbed an apron, a fresh mask and gloves. "It seems we have our work cut out for us, Kaede. Prepare for an all-nighter."

"Yes, Saeko-sensei." Kaede also washed her hands, changed and then walked over to the operation table where their patient lay. It was a teenager, but she couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl from their androgynous appearance. However, despite the mud, earth and general mess on the body, she could see the slight rise and fall of the chest, as well as the frown on the sweaty face.

"I'm going to look under this poultice and see what we're dealing with," Saeko told her. "Get some blood, O negative, and get ready to mop up if mess starts gushing. Why didn't Jōichirō give this boy a proper washing is beyond me. Did they roll around the mud somewhere or something?" The healer kept grumbling as she got closer to the body, then removed the bandages from around the chest and then the poultice. Instantly, Kaede heard the blood gush onto the floor. "Yep, we'll need that blood on the double. Also, cut off his hair, we'll use it as a binding agent for the more serious damage and figure out the rest as we go."

"Yes," Kaede rushed to grab the blood bags, and set up an IV as quickly as she could. She could tell that the boy, apparently, was in pain. So, she administered an anesthetic, completely knocking him out. The frown instantly settled, letting his soft features appear almost angelic. Next, Kaede grabbed a pair of scissors, undoing the bun in the back of the boy's head, gathering it and then cutting it off as short as she could.

"At least five sections from that, Kaede," Saeko instructed again as she worked on the wound, tying off as many blood vessels as she could to prevent further blood loss. Kaede worked quickly, giving the woman the first section. "We're going to do this step by step, properly. No mistakes."

"Yes, sensei," Kaede stepped up to the table on the other side of the body, and the two flowed into a number of hand seals, mirroring each other perfectly. The strand of hair rose from the body and then glowed a deep green, beginning to disintegrate and flow into the wound.

Healing was a complex procedure, Kaede had found out in her numerous years with Saeko. One not only had to possess great knowledge of the human body, but they also needed to have steady chakra control and iron will. After all, a slight waver or mistake in visualization could make or break the procedure. And so, Kaede allowed herself to feel out the wound on the boy's chest with her chakra only, sensing the delicate tears in lung and heart tissue, brushing away the odd foreign layer of energy there, before she poured her will into mending them. By what she'd sensed, she knew that it would be a long night for them.

* * *

It was in the early hours of the morning, when the sun was peeking through the mist around the Shitchi Temple, that Jōichirō poked his head into the operation room, seeing the two exhausted women still doing their best to save their patient. He'd been called in twice, to donate more blood, as he was O negative. He'd done it straight from his vein and into the boy on the table, in complete silence. The only sounds were that of Saeko cutting and suturing, as well as giving her assistant additional instructions. Kaede felt her legs falter numerous times, after the first five hours had passed, but she knew that she had to keep going. When Saeko finally sighed and wiped her sweat with her long sleeve, looking at Jōichirō's eager face in the doorway, Kaede let her knees buckle, sliding to the ground with a soft huff.

"Where'd you pick up this stray, Jōichirō?" Saeko asked.

"He crawled out of his own grave," the Master replied, shrugging with a wide grin. "Who was I to deny such determination and will of God to put me right in his path?"

"You could've at least washed him, saved us some time," the healer complained with a huff. "The next few days will be critical, and the rest is up to him."

"Oh, sounds promising." Jōichirō grinned, then walked in and picked Kaede's limp form up gently. "I'll take this one for a shower and some food."

"I'm going to finish up in here." Saeko told them, before returning to work. Kaede honestly didn't know how the woman did it. She knew that she wouldn't be able to. It was much more stamina than she had, after all. She was grateful that the Master was willing to take care of her, in her exhausted state. She had spent all of her chakra and could barely move a finger.

* * *

"You look worried," Norio commented, taking in Mei's hands and their motions. The team was standing with other Genin in front of the tall gates of Shi no Mori, waiting. The only girl on their team had her hands in front of herself, fingers moving through motions of some kind of a stitch to calm herself down.

"I'm fine," Mei told him, grinning up at him. Tsubaki patted both of their backs, grinning eagerly.

"We'll be fine," the boy told them. "After all, no matter what is in that forest, we've seen it before. There's nothing they can throw at us that will have us panicking." Mei nodded, looking around.

"We should avoid that Suna trio," she told them. "They seem like trouble." Norio grinned at her eagerly at that. "No, Norio-chan, avoid, not encounter, avoid." The girl immediately scolded him, frowning.

"Sure, you avoid, I'll encounter, everyone's gonna be happy," the swordsman countered. That made Mei go off on him and Tsubaki shake his head. Luckily, the argument was broken apart by the examiner calling for attention.

Mei listened, seeing as Norio didn't, and was instead doing his best to scope out the competition. The instructions seemed plenty straightforward in her opinion. They were to get to the finish line in five days with both scrolls, without looking inside them. She immediately saw the point of the exam.

"Like a real information delivery mission," Tsubaki had that usual, unreadable, expression next to her. He was smiling with his eyes closed. Though, Mei could tell that he was just as eager as Norio to start with the test.

"Indeed," she nodded. And truly, it was. A shinobi was supposed to be able to carry information without being tempted to look at it from point A to point B, all the while fighting the enemies who wanted the same knowledge. They had done that before. Though, their mission hadn't gone too well.

Mei could still recall how Norio had gotten too caught up in the fight with the enemy shinobi, making the team backtrack to find him. Tsubaki, on the other hand, had argued with the swordsman, ending up in their own little match over who would carry the scrolls. In the end, Mei had had to battle the enemy shinobi on her own, which had landed her in the hospital afterwards. The information had gotten to the Mizukage, indeed, but they'd been late and sustained one too many unnecessary injuries along the way. Mei sighed, remembering the mission and hoping that this exam wouldn't be a rehash of that.

"You have until two in the afternoon to sign the agreement and pick up the scrolls," the examiner told them in a booming voice for such a trim woman. "If you're not done and finished by that time, we will consider you disqualified." She finished. "Dismissed!"

"I'll go get our papers!~" Norio exclaimed with too much glee in his voice, bounding off towards the tents to their left. Mei looked at Tsubaki, who just shrugged as if telling her to deal with the usually uncooperative, but now overly eager teammate. The girl sighed, sensing that it would be a long day.

"You're not going to pick up the contracts?" She jumped at the voice, turning around to find the familiar Konoha shinobi standing behind her.

"Kiba-san!" Mei greeted him with a bow. "Norio-chan just went to get them for our team." She smiled, which made Tsubaki's grin turn sly.

"I'm Tsubaki," he instantly introduced himself, offering a hand to Kiba. It made all the proper alarm bells in Mei's head ring.

"Ah, Inuzuka Kiba," the Konoha shinobi accepted the handshake, though Mei could see that he was reluctant to do so. "You're Mei's teammate?"

"Yes, yes," Tsubaki had his polite demeanor on, which always promised trouble. "Thank you for taking care of her the other day."

"It was nothing," Kiba grinned. "It's only natural to stand up for a friend, no?" Mei wanted to drag him off into a corner and tell him to shut up, before returning to the conversation. She was stuck, instead, trying to tell him the same with her expression, which just made the boy frown and then raise an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, friends, I see," Tsubaki nodded. "Mei's always been good at communication." The girl finally snapped, pulling her teammate away from the Konoha shinobi.

"Pens! We need pens, Sen-chan!" She quickly pushed him toward the tables that had been set up on the other side of the tents, where there was staff handing out pens and drinks for the participants. Tsubaki gave her a sly grin, but went regardless.

"I'm so sorry about him," Mei turned to Kiba as soon as they were alone, blushing profusely. However, the Konoha Genin just waved her off.

"It's alright," he raised his eyebrow at her again. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Now, that was a loaded question which made Mei groan.

* * *

Kaede woke up a little disoriented and overall sore. She looked up, only to see Jōichirō's face and quickly recalled that Master had come back last night. With a patient in horrible condition, as always.

"Two months?" Saeko whispered from the other side of the table, getting Kaede's attention. "How in the world did you keep him stable enough for travel? He should've died, Jōichirō!" Kaede felt the Master move from under her, shifting to sit a bit more comfortably with the girl in his lap.

"Mostly, I prayed," the Master replied, making his wife groan. "But, I did do everything I could. He was awake and talking last week, I don't know what went wrong."

"His heart was torn apart by lightning, that's what was wrong," Saeko sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever you did probably got botched up. Worked for a while then fell apart."

"Oh, good morning, Kaede-chan," Jōichirō noticed that Kaede was awake and the girl slowly rose from his lap, smiling at him. "How are you feeling? I hope my little impromptu saving mission didn't completely wear you out."

"I'm fine, Master," Kaede bowed politely. "But, forgive my forwardness, how did he survive the trip? With a torn heart?" She looked between the married couple. Jōichirō shrugged, also directing the question at his wife.

"There was chakra in the wound," she told them. "Tightly woven, right around the tear. It would've held for a while, which was why he was getting better."

"Ah, so that's why he managed to crawl out of his grave?" Jōichirō laughed. "That's amazing! It's all His will, I don't doubt it." Saeko huffed, shaking her head. Then, the woman looked at both of them with a rather calm, cool face. Her expression seemed troubled, making her husband become serious, for once.

"The origin of the chakra… troubles me," Saeko admitted. "It's from a shinobi I knew once, I'm certain."

"Ah, so we can contact him and see what that's about?" Jōichirō asked happily. But, Saeko shook her head.

"He's a nukenin," she sighed. "I will do my best to get a hold of him, but I don't know what this means. He is by no means a person who would save another. And, with that kind of chakra, too…" Saeko looked troubled, still, sipping her tea.

"What kind of chakra, sensei?" Kaede asked, making the woman look at her as if she'd just remembered that the girl was still in the room.

"The last breath," the Master made a humming noise, as if he knew what the woman was talking about. But, Kaede was still lost. "It's a way to transfer whatever leftover chakra you have at the moment to another person, like a seal, almost, taught to Kiri shinobi as a medical jutsu."

"I never learned it?" Kaede frowned.

"Ah, but that was before the reforms that Terumī made," Saeko waved a hand in dismissal. "It's a dangerous technique which can backfire easily. It requires precision and willingness to forfeit your own life, after all. Who'd think that he would one day find a person he'd be willing to do that for, eh? That arrogant boy…"

"Then, shall we just keep the boy here and not say anything to Terumī for now? He was a bit lost when he woke up the first few times…" Jōichirō supplied with a grin.

"Lost?"

"Ah, he doesn't remember a thing." Saeko and Kaede exchanged a glance while Jōichirō laughed. They'd dealt with multiple patients with amnesia, especially shinobi. Due to the nature of their work, they often ended up with traumatic injuries that left them either unable or unwilling to recall their lives. Though, the two women had also seen shinobi who have faked amnesia, as well.

"Well, I suppose we will see if he pulls through and then decide what to do." The old healer ended their debate. "For now, shall we have breakfast? And, let's feed this bunch, too." That was when Kaede realized that the living room was full of villagers who were sleeping here and there, some snoring and some groaning. With a soft smile, the girl rose from her seat, going into the kitchen.

* * *

 **Gosh, I've been away from this story for so long… Anyone still reading? I'm curious xD**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Shadowing:  
I'm so sorry that my reply to your review is this late and I hope you're still interested in what will happen in this story :D  
Enjoy! **

**Stickaroo:  
Indeed, cyanide should smell like bitter almonds. However, the poisons Mei uses aren't cyanide. And, they mostly come from plants, hence her smell being sweet because she works with them day in and out :D  
Kiba and Mei and their time issues xD I loved writing that, though :P  
Hope you're still reading! **

**Guest:  
Hello dear Guest, thanks so much for the multiple reviews! I'm sorry that I've been such a slowpoke with updating… I've been away from both the fandom and writing for quite some time. So, here are my replies to all of your reviews!  
Ch2: I'm glad that you like them :D I spent a lot of times on making OCs, so I'm always happy when someone enjoys my babies :P  
Ch3: I tried to keep it as quick as possible in progression with the Naruto timeline :D  
Ch4: Norio is such a sweetheart! Well, a deadly sweetheart, but I adore him nonetheless xD There will be more of his quirkiness to come :D  
I hope I'm doing Kiba justice, tbh xD  
Mei is urghhh I love Mei xD She's such an idiotic airhead, I don't relate to her much, but I love writing her because of that xD  
Ch5: Glad you ship them! I do too xD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Ready, set, go!**

Mei stood in front of the door, looking at the Konoha shinobi who was guarding it. Norio seemed borderline bored behind her, though she had spotted his hands leaving his pockets and touching the strap of Sakurahime multiple times. He was eager, more than bored. On the other hand, Tsubaki was as calm as a clam. There was no faking in his posture or on his face, he really wasn't fazed at all by the exam.

"So, Mei-chan, about the Konoha shinobi-" the boy began, making Mei jump.

"No." She replied with absolute finality in her tone.

"What Konoha shinobi?" Norio asked eagerly.

"The one Mei got in trouble for staying out too-"

"No." The guard at the door shifted, seeming rather interested in their banter.

"Oh! What were you doing, Mei-chan? Losing your vir-" Norio started with a sly smirk.

"No."

"Flirting, definite-" Tsubaki was unbearable when he got like this, too.

"No."

"Who's he? Is he any strong?" Norio's hand came around her shoulders, making her finally blow up.

"I change my mind! When I get married, you two _aren't_ invited!" The girl screamed, making the guard at the door back up a step, eyes wide beneath the hitai-ate and the black mask on his face.

"Waaah! How mean!" Norio whined and Tsubaki patted his shoulder theatrically.

"You're both impossible! Incorrigible! Drama queens!" The girl couldn't hold back anymore, knowing that her losing her cool would start them fighting, but not caring anymore.

"Incorrigable?" Norio asked, head tilting.

"Don't use big words, Mei, this idiot can't understand your insults," Tsubaki easily stroked the fire and suddenly, like always, the fight spread out to the two of them, rather than having them as allies. Mei was rather happy, on one hand, that the two couldn't get along long enough to properly gang up on her. They surely would be terrifying if they did that.

"Who're you calling an idiot, you idiot!"

"The idiot who needs to widen his vocabulary from idiot." And, it was on. Mei sighed, watching Norio scream at Tsubaki, while the other simply smirked and continued insulting. She finally decided to break their argument up when Sakurahime was pulled out.

"Ah, boys, stop fighting," she called out, stepping in between them, a hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart. "The exam is going to start." Though, despite the clear end of the whole ordeal, Norio kept growling at Tsubaki from his side. The guard cleared his throat awkwardly, getting their attention. He turned to the lock and undid it, opening the gates.

"Ready," he said, making the trio stop with their banter, growling and sighing, "And, go!" The three of them flew in, running straight ahead. Tsubaki waved a hand, getting their attention, and then pointed up with his index finger. Mei took the directions easily, as they all did on a mission, flying into the trees with a bit of chakra pushed into her feet.

It was odd, she thought, how different her team was during off-mission and on-mission time. While they were relaxing, Tsubaki and Norio were always at each other's throats, arguing and bickering, causing Mei to be their buffer. Though, as soon as the bell signaled the start of a mission, they became like two different people. Tsubaki always took the lead, planning and plotting, leading them into the unknown with a calm that only he could manage. Norio became a silent force, always having their back, no matter the circumstances. And Mei, she became the chattering backbone, keeping their spirits up, despite the harsh times they would go through.

"Stop," Tsubaki signaled, making them all land on a thick tree-trunk. "Let's plan for a bit." The boy said, putting a finger to his lips. "Mei, secure the area." She nodded, doing a few hand seals and then spreading the bottom of her pale dress in a motion one would do while curtsying. Dozens of tiny scorpions spilled silently onto the tree and vanished into the growth around them. The three waited in silence.

"All clear within hearing range," the girl informed them, holding her hands in a seal, so that she could monitor the scorpions while they talked freely.

"Alright," Tsubaki grinned, silver eyes opening to lock them in place. "Here is the plan that I've thought up while we were chilling out front," he smirked. "Since we have the Earth scroll, we will need to find the other one. This will be best if we simply split up," Norio grinned while Mei frowned. "The mission is simple, find a team with the Heaven scroll, steal it by any means necessary and get back to the meeting point within the following two days."

"Two days?" Norio huffed. "We can do it today and go for the quick finish." Tsubaki shook his head.

"Don't bother rushing," the boy explained. "There are two strategies one can take for this exam. Hunt or trap. We are opting for the former, while some teams will surely wait by the finish line, going for the latter. I want as many of them to be gone before we get there. We should aim for a third day finish, if we want to save our strength for whatever may come next." At that, Norio nodded, but still had a dissatisfied look on his face.

"I'm against splitting up," Mei raised her hand. "We're stronger together."

"I understand where you're coming from," Tsubaki nodded. "However, according to both mine and Norio's assessment of the other Genin, we don't have much to be afraid of. Hence, the fastest way to do this would be by splitting up."

"Let's vote," Mei asked, and the two boys nodded. "For staying together," her hand rose. She sighed. "Alright, we may split up. I know when I'm outvoted," Norio grinned. "I, however, have three conditions for splitting up."

"All for," Tsubaki and Mei raised their hands, making Norio frown.

"And we were doing so good," Norio commented, while Mei and Tsubaki raised their hands. "Let's hear your conditions, princess." Mei gave him a brief glare, but listed off her conditions on her fingers.

"Naruto's team is off-limits," she said, one finger going up.

"Who's that?" Norio asked with a groan.

"Apparently Mei's been making friends," Tsubaki chuckled, which made the other boy groan again.

"He's the blond shinobi from Konoha in an orange jumpsuit. The one who was yelling in the first round," another groan. "Second, Kiba's team is off-limits," Mei interrupted Norio's confused question as to who the heck was that. "The boy with the nin dog. Lastly, no engaging the red-headed Suna shinobi's team."

"Wha? But, Meeeeeei!" Norio whined, tugging her arm. "I was looking forward to that!" Mei shook her head.

"He's dangerous," she brushed Norio's hand off. "I won't allow it." Tsubaki ended their bickering by continuing his plan layout.

"Accepted and marked. Those are the conditions," the boy said in their team jargon. The one who wouldn't respect the marked conditions would be pranked for a week by the rest of the team. Norio was usually the target of those tortures. The boy paled at the memory. "Then, we will meet by the end of tomorrow at Mei's signal. You send out a chakra flair wherever you're at," the girl nodded. "And then, we head for the tower," the three looked at one another, nodding. "Go!" And they all vanished in different directions.

* * *

Tsubaki honestly hadn't planned on that happening. It had simply… happened. He had been minding his own business, seeking out different chakra patterns and following them and the various screams, looking for enemy teams, when he'd stumbled upon them. The blonde kunoichi with the large fan on her back, the shinobi clad in black from head to toe and the troublesome redhead with the gourd that reeked of blood.

They hadn't spotted him, but he sure had seen them. He thought back to the nature of Mei's veto. No engaging meant no battling. So, Tsubaki did what any insane Kiri shinobi would – he followed the Suna trio. He kept to the trees, watching their dynamics. The redhead was clearly the leader, yet he didn't speak much or give directions. He simply walked forward, as if he was on a stroll and not in the middle of an exam. The blonde and the other shinobi followed, sometimes whispering amongst each other, but mostly in silence. After about half an hour, Tsubaki was bored out of his mind.

He _knew_ the exact moment he'd made a mistake. He wasn't paying attention to his footing and ended up stepping on a particularly badly placed, super crunchy leaf. The sound seemed to ring throughout the forest, making him wince. The redhead instantly turned, his green eyes locking onto the spot where Tsubaki was hiding in the trees.

"Is hide and seek over?" The blonde asked, also turning. Tsubaki smirked. They were better than he'd pegged them to be. "Come down and play, little Genin." The blonde taunted.

You're a Genin yourself, idiot, Tsubaki thought. But, he didn't take the bait. Honoring the agreement with Mei, the Kiri shinobi turned on the ball of his foot, pushing a bit more chakra into his toes and flying off the way they'd come from. He would easily find other prey. One that wouldn't bite as much.

* * *

Norio was on a roll. He honestly couldn't imagine a better holiday than their little trip to Konohagakure. Shinobi were plenty and his Sakurahime was finally getting her share of blood. He had been looking forward to this. He grinned, staring down the only leftover team member.

"You want me to do you a solid?" The Kiri shinobi asked, his smile positively feral. As the other boy backed up, Norio moved, vanishing and reappearing in front of him, slashing through his torso like butter. He had decimated the team in seconds, leaving him to stand in a pool of slowly dripping blood. "Tch, weak," the boy complained, getting the blood off of Sakurahime with a single sharp swing. "Isn't there anyone stronger?" He grumbled, taking off again into the trees with a frown. As he flew through the branches, he slid the katana back into her sheath lovingly. Never mind that he'd completely forgotten to look for the scroll of the team he'd just defeated.

* * *

Mei sat there, with wide eyes, confused. She seemed to be in a rather peculiar pickle of a situation. There was a net, filled with some kind of large leeches, around her, keeping her trapped high off ground. The girl sighed.

"Better not drink my blood," she told the leeches with an apologetic smile as they sucked. It took them seconds to still and then writhe in pain, before stilling completely. "I warned you," the girl gave another sigh. "Now, to get out of this…" She started wriggling, looking for her kunai in her bag while trying not to get too many dead leeches on her.

"Mei?" A familiar voice asked from the ground. The girl looked down, instantly seeing the confused boy. Kiba was looking up at her, two people at his side. "Can't believe we caught you, of all people." He laughed.

"Ah, I got a bit careless," she laughed back.

"Oh?" Kiba seemed surprised.

"I wanted to check that plant out," she struggled to point to the odd little flower she'd seen before tripping the hidden wire.

"Ah, I see," the Konoha shinobi laughed. "What scroll have you got?" He cheekily asked from his place on the ground.

"Not telling!~" Mei teased back, her hand landing on the kunai in her bag. She really didn't want to clash with Kiba and his team, but she would if the situation got worse.

"C'mon, Mei, I caught you fair and square!" Kiba complained from the ground, making the girl grin. She really couldn't get enough of him. But, that called for a different approach. The kunai swung from her bag in a smooth motion, cutting through the net and she landed on her feet on the soft forest soil.

"Now I'm free," she stuck her tongue out at the team, which seemed to be ready to fight her. "Now, let's see about that plant!" And the girl bounded off, slipping a few scorpions to the ground in her wake, just in case. She didn't want to fight Kiba, however, she would if the situation called for it.

"Do you know her, Kiba-kun?" While Mei was inspecting the flower she'd been planning to originally, she heard the team behind her discuss their current situation. The soft-spoken girl of the group seemed worried.

"Well, I suppose you could say so," Kiba shrugged. "That's Mei, from Kiri. The girl I showed the caves to the other day."

"Oh, I see," the kunoichi replied.

"An enemy?" The other boy spoke up for the first time, sounding muffled despite his unusually deep voice. Mei glanced back to see Kiba shrug.

"Ah, Kiba-san, what is this plant?" She decided to solve their dilemma, waving the shinobi over.

"I guess not," Kiba grinned at them while walking over to her and crouching down to take a closer look at the plant she was inspecting. "You really have an eye for the poisonous ones, don't you?" He laughed and then continued to tell her about the flower.

* * *

The wet towel went along the soft expanse of the skin, before being dunked back into the water basin at her feet. She'd seen plenty of men bare before. She was a healer, after all. Bare skin didn't embarrass her. Or, at least, it shouldn't embarrass her. His made her self-conscious, for some unknown reason. But, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand, and not on the fact that she was alone, in a closed room, with a naked boy.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was a boy her age? She mused, working. It might've been that. He was handsome. Pretty, even. Despite his haircut being completely messy from her quick hairstyling job the night before last, he still looked almost angelic. She would bet all of her money that even in the most ridiculous clothes he would still be beautiful. He simply had one of those faces.

Yet, his body betrayed the innocence of his visage. It was marred with numerous scars. She could identify the kunai wounds easily, the slashes and gashes from a katana and the callouses which only appeared once you handled needles for many years. She had similar callouses on her own palms, after all. The boy had either been a shinobi, or something similar, for many years. Perhaps since he was born. Or very young. She couldn't tell that much. Her teacher could probably tell exactly when and where he'd studied his training, though. She could probably identify the marks he'd gotten from the harsh battles and the ones he'd receiving during his preparation for those fights. She wasn't nearly as good.

"Kaede," the girl jumped. She's been so engrossed in her task that she hadn't heard her teacher come into the room. "How does it look?" Saeko asked, kneeling down next to her.

"The same as yesterday," Kaede sighed. "I had to strip him and knock him out, but other than that, exactly the same." The girl turned to her teacher, placing the towel back into the basin. "Could you watch over him for a second, Saeko-sensei? I will quickly change the water." After the old healer nodded, Kaede rose to her feet and picked up her items, leaving for the bathroom. She'd grown accustomed to sitting in a seiza a long time ago. It didn't make her legs numb any longer. In fact, she welcomed the slight tingling which always appeared after a long period of time of sitting in such a position. Changing the water was a job she did with practiced ease, without her mind being fully focused on the task. Soon, she was back in the room, sitting back next to the boy. Her sensei replaced the bandages she'd been looking under.

"Doesn't look too bad," Saeko sighed, "But it doesn't look promising either," the woman stood, leaving the girl to her task. "Talk to him, Kaede. It helps."

"But," Kaede turned, only to see that the woman had already left, closing the door behind her. "What should I talk to you about?" She turned to the boy, asking the question in her usual, soft and feathery tone. Needless to say, he didn't answer.

Kiba's team turned out to be much more interesting than she'd expected them to be. It was a very well-balanced cell in her opinion. They had Hyuga Hinata, from the infamous kekkei genkai of Konoha. She was soft-spoken, timid and awfully polite, which put Mei a bit on edge. She had never been too good with people who were like that. Though, the girl could recognize the kunoichi's team value. She was the perfect lookout, and also, the best hand to hand expert a group could wish to have. The Byakugan was, after all, rumored to be able to show the chakra points to the user. A terrifying ability indeed. Though, Mei couldn't really imagine Hinata being fierce, from their casual chatter, she kept reminding herself how the most beautiful and delicate of flowers could hold enough poison in them to kill an army.

The second member of Kiba's team that Mei had met was Aburame Shino. That was a boy covered from head to toe in clothing, his eyes obscured by glasses and his hands almost always in his pockets. He didn't speak much, but when he did, he always made a very valuable point. Mei had quickly decided that he was the obvious strategist of the team. However, she hadn't been able to uncover his shinobi specialization. That bugged her.

Finally, there was Kiba himself. The loud and borderline obnoxious, however also very charming, shinobi. He was clearly skilled in hand to hand combat, and he used his nin-dog for battle, as well. Mei had decided that he was probably the phycological backbone of the team, always upbeat and quite arrogant. He didn't sugarcoat his words, no matter the topic, and she really loved that about him. Kiba had definitely made an impression on her.

The small group of shinobi had ended up sitting together, surrounded by trip wires left and right, as Kiba's team waited for someone else to fall into their trap. Mei had opted to chat with them for a bit, before continuing on her way. She'd made certain to show in every way that she was no threat, and they'd picked up on her hints quickly.

"Why such a big bag, Mei-san?" Hinata asked her, pointing curiously at the messenger bag that the Kiri kunoichi was dragging around with her.

"Ah, I prefer all my supplies to be close by," Mei explained. "I do a lot of different things for the team, so I need a lot of different items to back my skills up," she laughed, her fingers touching the strap of her bag. "I'm not as strong as Norio or Tsubaki, so I need these."

"I'll bet you all my money she's got poisons of all sorts in there," Kiba grinned, waggling his eyebrows at the girl. Hinata balked at that, turning to Mei just in time to see her shrug at the Konoha shinobi.

"Poisons?" Hinata asked. "You're a medical kunoichi then?" Mei tilted her head to the side, frowning.

"Ah, I wouldn't call myself an iryō-nin…" she mused, thinking about how best to define her position. "I'm more of a-hmmmm poison user that also dabbles in medicine?" She shrugged. "I do whatever it takes to back up my teammates, mostly."

"Those are useful skills," Shino spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Ah, what kind of things do you guys use? Are they normal for Konoha shinobi? Do you like being Konoha shinobi?" Mei turned the conversation around, firing curious questions left and right.

"Wouldn't telling you that be divulging village secrets?" Kiba smirked at her, his chin tilting up in that familiar animalistic show of dominance. Mei huffed.

"But, I shared my abilities!"

"That just makes you an idiot." Kiba countered with a laugh. "And us good at interrogation."

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata scolded in her soft tone while the boy laughed arrogantly. Though, Mei was having none of it, she reached over and gently poked him straight into the ribs, right under his folded arms. The boy yelped jumping up from his crisscross sitting position and guarding his side immediately.

"Now that was just mean," he complained.

"No, you're just mean," Mei shot back, making Hinata follow their banter like a Ping-Pong match.

"Says the girl who just gave up her village secrets."

"Says the boy who deluded me."

"Wha- deluded?"

"Yeah, you made me think this was a friendly chat."

"But it is?" Kiba smirked victoriously, "A friendly interrogation, you could say?" Mei couldn't resist it. That dominance she kept trying to push on her. She just had to show him that if you poked a scorpion for too long it would sting right back.

"Then, should I make it a friendly demonstration?" The atmosphere instantly changed at her words. While Kiba was still laughing, Shino and Hinata exchanged a wary glance. They were both on guard, yet again.

"Sure, why don't you show me what you've got?" Kiba challenged and Mei smirked, diving for him before the other two could stop her. However, she didn't go for her kunai or make any hand seals. She didn't need that to win this fight. Instead, she just found an opening and jabbed her fingers into Kiba's sides, making the boy yelp, laugh and try to scramble away from him. Though, Mei had had enough practice on Norio. If one simply straddled the person they were attempting to trap, the whole tickling process would become so much easier.

"No-ah, Mei-stop, you she-devil!" Kiba tried to fend her off, but she was persistent. Mei had managed to scramble during their tumble across the forest soil onto him, straddling his hips and keeping his arms pinned down. Her fingers attacked his sides with vicious precision. "Akamaru! Help!" But, the pup simply yipped, safely nestled in Hinata's lap. It was as if the dog had told his owner that he had started that battle on his own. The kunoichi that was holding him couldn't stop giggling, her hand at her mouth.

"Looks like Kiba-kun has found his match," she told the other teammate.

"Someone help me, dammit!" Kiba whined, doubling his efforts to shake Mei off his body.

* * *

Mei had ended up staying with Kiba's team until it was almost dark out. Yet, with the tall trees, it was rather difficult to determine the passage of time. There wasn't much sun to shimmy its way through the thick forest. Mei was lucky, in a sense, that she'd grown up in Mizu no Kuni. She could tell the passage of time by the feeling of hunger in her stomach and by her level of tiredness easily.

"It's almost seven," the Kiri kunoichi told the group, wandering away from the pile of tied up bodies which their traps had captured and the leeches finished off. "Would you be up to grabbing something to eat? I'm starving!" She smiled at the group openly. It wasn't that she was trying to put them at ease any longer, they all seemed rather comfortable with her at that point, even the shy Hinata. It was more of a fact that they were open with her with their reactions and she wanted to do the same, to the best of her ability.

"We could hunt something?" Kiba suggested, testing the ropes which tied the last shinobi's hands behind his back securely. He dropped the Genin unceremoniously on the ground, making him groan. "There should be some game here."

"I don't particularly-"

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan," Mei immediately knew what would be the issue with the gentle kunoichi. "We can do the bloody parts and you can do the soup? I'm horrible at soup. I've been told before that I can burn water."

"Join the club," Kiba laughed loudly.

"Ah, you too?" Mei giggled. Shino sighed in exasperation.

"He will singlehandedly annihilate us one day, I'm certain," the shinobi told them. Kiba, on the other hand, simply proudly laughed.

"I'll get a wife who can cook, no biggie!"

"If anyone will take you," Mei teased, making the boy balk at her.

"Wha-? Why wouldn't anyone want me?" Kiba asked her incredulously. "I'm every girl's dream!" The other three shinobi couldn't help laughing at that, making Kiba blush profusely.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **akagami hime chan:  
Thanks so much for the review! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story :D  
I promise some more arse-kicking coming soon :D  
Glad that you like Mei and Kiba together! I find them super cute xD They're such kids XD A refreshing thing to write, compared to all of my other fics, which mostly center around older teens :)  
Best!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I found out that I really like Norio in this chapter xD**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Whispers in the dark**

He heard them before he saw them. It was a chattering group of shinobi. Tsubaki raised an eyebrow, wondering who would be bold enough, or stupid enough, to be so loud in a forest where a hunt was happening. Then, he almost crashed into one of them, stopping just short of the girl in question.

"Ah!" She screamed, falling back onto the ground, landing hard on her ass. Tsubaki instantly heard her other two teammates move, but not quite intervene.

"Ino!" A single glance at the shinobi, Konoha by the headband, told him that the boy wouldn't be attempting to fight him unless it was absolutely necessary. In fact, the teen seemed to be thinking furiously. Tsubaki decided to switch up his tactics and smiled at the girl on the floor, extending his hand.

"My apologies, miss," she looked at his palm warily, but then tentatively took it. Tsubaki gently pulled her up, bowing, then kissed her knuckles in an apologetic manner. "I should've been more careful as to where I was going."

"Ah-um-erm," the girl seemed at a loss of words, more confused by his actions than anything. "It's alright." She laughed nervously.

"Does your team happen to have a Heaven scroll?" He asked curiously, and instantly saw the girl stiffen. So, they had one. "Would you mind giving it to me?" Tsubaki spotted the shinobi who hadn't moved before forming a hand seal. "I really wouldn't recommend fighting me," he advised, looking over with his usual smile at the boy. The hands dropped back down. "Now, that's settled. I'm not asking for it for free," Tsubaki grinned and then reached into his pouch with his free hand, pulling out an Earth scroll which he'd nabbed off one of the previous teams he'd encountered. So far, he hadn't been forced to fight at all. The team had simply given him the scroll in order to avoid him. "I'll switch with you?" The teen grinned at the boy who obviously seemed the brain of the operation.

"And what if we defeat you and take that scroll in order to head for the finish?" The boy asked, his hands on his hips. "There's one of you and three of us." Tsubaki couldn't resist looking at the fat shinobi on the ground a little ways off, eating his chips contently and not looking one bit interested in the fight.

"Ah, we could do that, as well, I suppose," the Kiri shinobi shrugged, straightening completely and turning to the Konoha boy, one hand still firmly gripping the girl's. "I suppose I'll start with killing this kunoichi and then continue onto you, then?" He offered the boy a wide, rather menacing, smile. Instantly, he saw the change. The boy took out the Heaven scroll from his bag and waved it around.

"I give up, you can take it," he liked the boy, Tsubaki decided. Much more than the frozen girl in his arms.

"What's your name, Konoha shinobi?" Tsubaki asked.

"Nara Shikamaru," the boy was reluctant when he gave his name.

"I'm going to be looking forward to your progress in this exam, Nara-kun," Tsubaki grinned, nodding. He waved the Earth scroll and then tossed it to the boy before he could even extend his own scroll. He knew that the Heaven scroll would be in his possession soon. And, indeed, with wide eyes at the trusting exchange, Shikamaru tossed him their team's scroll. Tsubaki grabbed it from the air, placing it into his pouch. "It's been a pleasure," Tsubaki nodded to both Konoha shinobi, then kissed the girl's trembling hand once more. "I don't suggest going North," he offered them a piece of advice, as he'd felt Norio wreaking havoc in that direction a while back. "My teammate is that way, and he doesn't care much for courtesies. Have a good day." And then, Tsubaki was gone.

"What the heck…" Ino dropped to her knees, trembling all over. Shikamaru also slid down to the ground, the adrenaline leaving him. "He can't possibly be a Genin! Did you feel his killing intent? I thought we were dead!"

"We got lucky," Shikamaru sighed. He looked up, wishing that he could see the clouds that usually put him at ease. They really had gotten lucky, despite the troublesome situation.

"I think he just shaved off ten years off my life," Ino groaned, trying to get her legs to stop shaking like a newborn lamb's.

* * *

Night was coming and Norio was _bored_. He'd gone through a few teams, but none of them had put up much of a fight. One had tried fighting him, which had been a foolish venture. Another had, instead, extended their scroll to him in hopes of fending him off. Though, Norio wasn't really interested in those things. He just wanted a good fight. He just wanted to bathe Sakurahime in blood. He wanted to taste the red liquid of life off of her blade after a satisfying battle.

But, there were no satisfying battles. There were only mediocre clashes. Nothing good. So, he kept going. Norio needed a fight. He was itching for it. It was like the telltale sign of a headache in his temples, not quite pain yet, but surely an uncomfortable pressure there. He just needed to cut someone open, and he knew he would feel better.

In the waning light of the day, he jumped form one branch to the next, finding his footing without any hassle. That was when he spotted an odd sight. An orange man. An orange man was hanging. Off a kunai. In a tree. Norio stopped short, tilting his head, the bloodlust he'd been feeling gone and replaced by a puzzling sense of intrigue and confusion.

"What the heck?" He asked, walking over to the hanging shinobi, inspecting the odd sight.

"Get away from him!" The shrill scream almost tore his eardrums and Norio whirled around. There was a girl in a tree, a little ways off, cradling another boy. She looked a little worse for wear, but without any serious injuries. Speaking off, the boy in her arms didn't look that bad, either. There was a bleeding wound on his leg, but nothing enough to incapacitate him.

"Why's he hanging in a tree?" Norio decided to satisfy his curiosity first. The girl looked on the verge of a hysterical crying fit and, to be honest, that would be more annoying than a team which was crap at fighting.

"He- he was falling and I had to stop it," the girl replied shakily.

"So you stuck him to a tree?" Norio asked again, a grin slipping onto his face.

"A-ah it seemed like the best idea at the time," the girl replied again. He laughed merrily, unable to hold it in any longer. He could tell that it puzzled her, but all Norio could do was bend over with laughter. She had stuck him to a tree with a kunai, after all! That was beyond hilarious! The swordsman did his best to regain some kind of composure.

"Well, um, carry on," he motioned with his shaking hands, still brimming with laughter, going to step forward and leave. That was, however, when he heard Mei's words in his head again. A blond shinobi from Konoha in an orange jumpsuit. "Ah, wait, this wouldn't happen to be Naruto would it?" He pointed to the hanging shinobi and looked to the girl again. She slowly nodded. "Curses!" Norio slapped his forehead, then gave a sigh. Mei would _kill_ him if she found out that he'd left her friend hanging, quite literally.

"You know Naruto?" The girl was getting on his nerves, too. He just wanted to slice her open and shut her up.

"No," Norio walked over to the boy, ignoring the girl taking out another kunai from her pouch, ready to attack him. "But my teammate apparently does, so I suppose I do as well." He pulled the kunai out of the tree, taking the limp shinobi and swinging him over his shoulder. "You got any shelter for the night prepared?" The girl seemed puzzled in her desperate state.

"Y-you're going to help me?" God, was everyone stupid in this land? Norio rubbed his aching temples with the hand that was still holding her kunai.

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

* * *

He ended up doing the brunt of the hard work, much to his displeasure. The two shinobi of Naruto's team were both in bad condition, for unseen reasons. Norio couldn't spot any external causes while he was helping the girl prepare the shelter. It was a mystery.

"Ah, t-thanks," she was trembling, still, which he didn't like. It annoyed him. But, she was working with him, which was a plus. She had accepted the washcloths he'd given her to place on the boys' foreheads. They were both running a high fever. "I… don't even know your name." Was she asking for it? Norio sighed, plopping down under the shelter of the low tree branches.

"Norio," he told her with a disinterested look. "From Kirigakure." She whirled around at that.

"Kirigakure?" She asked, eyes wide. "W-why would a shinobi from an enemy village help us?" Norio wanted to smash her head in, he really did.

"Mei knows Naruto," he explained slowly, as if the girl was daft. That was the only explanation he could think of. She had to be daft. "Mei told us not to touch his team, so I'm not touching his team." He lay back against the tree branch, closing his eyes. "Besides, it's nighttime, I need a snooze before I keep hunting."

"M-Mei?" Norio wanted to scream.

"What's your name?" He decided to force the girl to switch topics, lest he finally gave into his frustrations.

"Haruno Sakura," and Norio instantly popped up, eyes wide and sitting straight.

"S-Sakura?" he asked, taking in her form properly for the first time. She had pale pink hair, long, and a rather cute face. Not too bad of an ass and nice boobs. And her name was _Sakura_. She nodded to his earlier question and Norio felt all of his troubles melting away. "Forgive my earlier rudeness, Sakura-hime," he hopped to his feet, bowing to her with all the proper courtesy one would pay a Mizukage. "I wasn't aware."

"O-of?" The girl was blushing and seemed to be startled by the change in the shinobi in front of her.

"Your name, of course!" The girl seemed even more confused than she had been a second ago. "No matter, it is my absolute pleasure to come to your aid! I'll take first watch, you get some sleep, Sakura-hime," Norio grinned with excitement, leaving the small shelter underneath the branches and hopping into the tree, settling down crisscross, his katana on his lap. He grinned to himself happily. Haruno Sakura. He would make the girl his by the end of the exam. If she was satisfactory, he would take her, legalities be damned. He'd finally found his Sakura-hime in the flesh. Even if she was a tad daft.

* * *

Mei walked over to the impromptu shelter the team had made. She'd decided to take them up on their offer to spend the night together, before splitting up the next day. After all, she needed to find Tsubaki and Norio, and she still hadn't managed to secure a Heaven scroll. Kiba's group, though, had finished their task and was ready to leave. They'd even given a spare Earth scroll to Mei, despite the fact that she'd told them it wasn't necessary multiple times.

"Come here, Mei," Kiba waved her over, setting up his spot to sleep. The kunoichi reluctantly walked over, wondering what kind of mischief he was planning. "Let's cuddle for warmth," he cheekily told her, making Hinata squeak from the other side of the camp.

"Kiba-kun! You can't just ask a girl that!" The kunoichi defended Mei. "You're making Mei-san uncomfortable!"

"Am I?" Kiba smirked, looking up at the Kiri kunoichi. She smirked back down at him, pulling the strap of her bag over her head and then placing the cargo safely onto the ground.

"I was just about to ask you if you'd share some of your body heat with me, in fact," Mei replied just as cheekily, enjoying the way Kiba's cheeks reddened. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed ready to explode from embarrassment.

"Oh dear," the girl exclaimed, looking over at the duo across from her. Mei grinned then, laughing and Kiba joined her.

"No worries, Hinata-chan," the Kiri kunoichi reassured. "We're just joking," though, the look she gave Kiba told him that she hadn't been joking one bit. "Would you like to lie close to me, so that we could share body heat? It will be more comfortable."

"Ah, if it's not too much trouble," Hinata squeaked. And, Mei walked away from Kiba, taking her bag to the middle and placing it next to the other items they'd tossed together there.

"Goodnight," Mei called out, settling herself behind Hinata, their backs pressed together.

"Goodnight," Shino called from his spot, while Kiba pouted, curling in on himself. Soon enough, though, he was joined by Akamaru, who wriggled into the boy's arms in an attempt to make himself warm and cuddle close to his master.

* * *

Norio could feel it. The tiredness seeping into his limbs. So, he kept them busy. He cleaned his katana with great care, ate some onigiri from his bag and even mended a spot on his baggy pants, where an enemy kunai had sliced them open. For his legs, he had to keep moving his toes, switch his sitting positions and even get up and walk around the branch from time to time. It wasn't that much of a hassle, but he definitely would've preferred a calm night's rest.

Sakura had dozed off about an hour ago, finally succumbing to her exhaustion. And, Norio had caved in, as well. He'd taken over her job of caring for the two shinobi on her team. He'd changed the wet washcloths on their foreheads multiple times and he'd even gone so far as to take off the hoodie he usually wore, purely to mask his muscles, and he'd tucked the girl into it. She was lighter than Mei, he had realized then. She wasn't as small, but she was light and somehow frail. It wasn't a good build for a kunoichi. She'd do better as a wife, he mused.

If the situation had been a tad different, Norio would've allowed himself to doze off on the branch which he kept returning to in order to keep watch. However, there was a tingling at the back of his neck. It was the kind of soft tingle that made the blood in his veins sing, calling to his blade, and it calling back to the liquid with joy. Sakurahime had spotted her next target. And, who was he but a slave to the beauty of the steel Goddess? And how could he deny her the feast she'd chosen for herself?

So, Norio smirked, waiting, in the dark, eyes closed, but ears completely alert. He could sense them. He wasn't as good at chakra control as Mei and Tsubaki were, and he couldn't feel them out that way. But, he could sense them. Smell their eagerness to fight. He was a different kind of being. He was a different kind of creature. He could smell the anticipation before the fight, which they showed so eagerly. Three, he'd made out so far. A girl and two boys. He could faintly hear them talk ever so often, in hushed tones. They were too far for him to make out anything they were saying, but close enough for him to catch the whisper of their voices.

He just couldn't help himself after a few hours of the still situation had passed. He opened his eyes and locked them on the spot where he was certain the three were crouching, waiting. And, Norio allowed Sakurahime to talk through him. He instantly heard them go completely still and silent. Sakurahime whispered for their blood, wanted it. She told them of all the gruesome, beautiful slashes her sharp blade would make on their bodies, carving them like the most wonderous of statues, as she drank. Birds flew from the trees at her dark promises, fleeing before a predator. The trio in the bushes slowly walked backwards, not daring to come closer or stay in their spot.

"You've scared the poor elites, Sakurahime," Norio lovingly said to the blade on his lap, caressing the sheath as if it were a woman's thigh. "You can't do that, sweetheart. They'll run away," he looked back to the bushes, finally seeing movement in their careless rush to get away from him. "Like frightened rabbits." And then, he told Sakurahime to be quiet and she stilled, instead saving her whispers for him and him only, like it always was and has been. Norio closed his eyes again, waiting. But, he couldn't keep that grin off his face.

* * *

Tsubaki groaned, turning on the tree branch which he'd chosen as his bed. It was uncomfortable, which kept his sleep light. But, that was what he had aimed for. While he had chosen a rather tall tree, and a sport quite up high to sleep, he had been cautious. He knew if he rested too deeply, he could fall prey to a night hunter. So, when he sensed the chakra moving behind him, he was ready.

The shinobi was a hair's breath away when Tsubaki's leg shot up, not even charged with chakra like it usually was, due to his sleepy state, kicking the boy away. The Kiri shinobi heard him fly down the length of the tall tree with a desperate scream, scrambling to find some kind of purchase and stop his fall.

"And good riddance," Tsubaki grumbled, turning on the branch and then going back to sleep.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes, instantly sitting up straight, panting from her dream. It had been horrible. She'd dreamt of that man coming back, killing both Sasuke and Naruto. She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the thundering of her heart and slowly tried to calm herself down.

"Bad dream?" The girl's head shot up, finding the same shinobi from last night still there. He was crouching next to Sasuke, changing the washcloth. Sakura nodded and he hummed, returning to his task. "It'll be alright, their fever seems to have gone down a bit, and nobody will bother you while I'm here," he grinned at her, the expression making him look rather handsome. "I promise, Sakura-hime."

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice cracking. He waved the gratitude off and offered her his water to drink from. Sakura took the time while he was taking care of Naruto, and she drinking, to inspect the boy further. He was lean, with wide shoulders, deceptively built. Now that his hoodie was off, she could clearly see the well-defined, rippling muscles on his torso, moving in a way that promised strength with each of his actions. He wore a mesh shirt, but it did nothing to hide the body toughened by rough training and many battles. Nor did the slip of a shirt hide his scars. They were all over his torso, like proud mementos of many fights. The baggy pants he wore, again she supposed in an attempt to be deceptive of his undoubted lower body strength, were riding low on his hips, showing the attractiveness of his hipbones. He was hot, she realized.

His face was handsome, too, when he wasn't frowning or growling. He had the brightest sky-blue eyes she'd ever seen, even lighter than Naruto's. And his hair was longish, falling to his shoulders loosely, and very blonde. The high cheekbones made him look rather attractive for his age, in an almost aristocratic style. Sakura realized that she was staring when he gave her an inquisitive look, then a bright smile when she blushed profusely, apologizing. An undeniably strong and hot Kiri shinobi was helping her, and she was losing her cool around him. She did her best to recall his name, but couldn't.

"I'm sorry, can you tell me your name again?" Sakura timidly asked.

"Ah, Norio, just Norio," he instantly replied, walking over to her and crouching. He placed one hand gently on her forehead, making her blush deepen. "Good, you're not warm at all. It means that these two aren't contagious."

"They got hurt in a fight," Sakura murmured, thinking back to it. Tears instantly came to her eyes, making her shiver and hug herself.

"They'll be fine," Norio assured her, grabbing the hoodie Sakura noticed just then had been around her as she'd slept. "If not, we'll take them to Mei and she'll do something," he promised, then extended the warm garment to her. "Put this on if you're cold, Sakura-hime. And, go back to sleep," He patted her head in a gentle motion with those hands that seemed very battle-worn.

"But, I should take watch?" Sakura told him as he rose to his feet.

"No need," Norio assured her, giving her one more grin before walking out of the shelter. "You're still tired and I'm fine without my beauty sleep for one night." Before she could protest, he jumped up. She heard him land on a branch and grunt as he plopped down, seemingly not caring about making a lot of noise. After a few minutes, Sakura decided that there was no use in staying awake, since he was already doing so, and pulled the hoodie over her dress.

It was warm and smelled of earth, blood and something musky. Sakura realized that the earthiness and muskiness came from the scent of patchouli in his cologne. The Kiri shinobi smelled of patchouli oil. In a rather delicate and handsome way, much like he was. It was quite a comforting scent, making her think of those hands, long and strong, with clearly defined muscles and veins attractively showing, as she lay back down, dozing off. She felt safe for the first time after they'd started the second stage of the Chūnin Exams.

* * *

The next time Sakura woke up was when the sun broke through the trees and its warm rays fell onto her skin. She slowly rose, surrounded by the smell of the hoodie around her body, feeling hot. Looking around, she didn't find the Kiri shinobi inside the shelter.

"Norio-san?" Sakura called out and she heard movement above the shelter instantly. Then, Norio appeared at the entrance.

"Morning," he greeted, offering her an onigiri from his pouch. "How did you sleep?" She took it tentatively, feeling bad about eating his food, but not able to resist the smile he was giving her. Also, her stomach was letting her know that she had skipped dinner last night.

"Really well," she looked at him for any signs of fatigue and found none. "Are you alright, Norio-san?"

"Just perfect, Sakura-hime," he assured her, checking on Naruto and Sasuke.

"How are they?"

"Still feverish, but better," the shinobi told her. Then, he looked back at her, seeing her eating. He grinned a little awkwardly, a hand going to brush back his hair from where it fell to his forehead in messy tresses. "I was wondering, could you stand to be alone with them for a bit and guard? I want to jump to the stream I spotted a little ways off and grab some water. Also, I need to wash out my hair," that was when Sakura finally realized that the blotches of dirt on his skin and clothes weren't just dirt. They were blood. Dried blood. "Mei will kill me if she has to clean my hair out again and blood is such a terrible thing to wash out."

"Of course," Sakura assured him, taking off his hoodie and handing it to him.

"I won't be long, and I'll refill the water containers," Norio promised, taking his hoodie and collecting the three containers of water they had together, before giving her a wave and walking out of the shelter. Now that she thought about it, Sakura should've probably begged him to stay with her, instead.

* * *

 **That's it for now :D Looking forward to your thoughts about these new developments :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I know that some of you might be miffed at me messing with the timeline, but Mei's involvement made Team 8 a little late to finish the exam, and erased their meeting Gaara, as they do in the canon. I'm usually a stickler for canon timeline, but I really needed to edit this a bit, for development purposes.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Delicate balance**

Mei woke up early, as always. She was simply one of those people. The people who couldn't _stand_ to be asleep after the sun was peeking out from the edge of the horizon. So, she rose, carefully disentangling herself from Hinata. Somehow, they had ended up hugging each other during the night. With a small smile on her face Mei grabbed her bag, and then stopped still in her tracks. She was being watched.

The kunoichi looked around, seeing that the whole of team eight, as she'd learned, was asleep. However, there was one pair of eyes which was following her movements with great care. Mei placed her finger on her mouth, shushing Akamaru with a grin, before heading out. They had found the perfect spot for camping the previous night, sheltered yet close to a water source. Hinata's Byakugan had made it an easy thing to do.

Mei placed her bag down, then stripped and jumped into the stream. It was icy cold and made her skin a tad numb. Her fingers and toes suffered the most by far. The girl grabbed the soap and shampoo from her bag, making quick work of her usual routine. It wasn't the ideal bath, but it would do to keep her from making herself obvious by the smell of her sweat. She had always been careful about her shampoo and soap, making certain that the scents were quite faint. That was why she needed to be on point with washing. When she was clean, and shivering, she washed her dress and undergarments and dunked her shoes into the stream, too. Then, as it often was the case, the girl was left naked on the bank of the river, letting the sun dry her clothes at least a bit.

Suddenly, something warm dropped on her head. Mei smirked, letting go of the chakra she'd been keeping bottled up. Her leg swept behind her, one hand going to shake off the thing covering her, a scorpion on her other palm ready to poison whoever had thought it smart to sneak up on her.

"God!" The familiar voice made her pull the poison back at the last possible second. "Don't extend your leg like that while you're naked! Please!" Kiba lay on the ground behind her, face horribly red, because she'd caught him off-guard or due to her naked state, she didn't know. His eyes were tightly shut, though.

"Why did you think it would be a good idea to sneak up on me, Kiba-san?" Mei asked with a chuckle, rising.

"I was trying to do something nice, okay?" Kiba opened his eyes to get up, but then quickly shut them again. "God, can you cover up a bit?" Mei couldn't help laughing. She looked to the item that she'd defended against earlier, seeing that it was his jacket. She picked it up, slipping it on over her bare form.

"Better?" Kiba opened his eyes at that, still seated on the ground. He blushed profusely, looking at how exactly the jacket covered the naked girl, before nodding.

"Much," he looked at her drying clothes, before quickly moving his gaze back to her. "Why in the world did you think that it was a good idea to strip naked in the middle of an exam?" He asked, rising from the ground.

"Quick bath," Mei shrugged, "it's not like I wasn't paying attention, either." She gave him a pointed look. Kiba's hands rose in a defensive gesture. Mei grinned at him, waving him over to join her at the bank of the river. As they sat down, looking out to the water, she couldn't help but take in the way he looked.

It was odd, seeing him without his jacket. He usually wore that hood up, the dark fur at the hem taking the place of his hair. Though, without it, he looked much more the boy that he actually was. The brown hair messy, and his face somehow much more open.

"We're going to head out when we finish breakfast," he told her. Mei nodded.

"I expected as much," she smiled. "I had fun… spending time with your team."

"They like you," Kiba grinned. "Especially Hinata. She doesn't know many girls and I think it's good for her," he seemed nervous while telling her that. Embarrassed, almost. He was definitely out of his element. "Her family is crazy strict, I think it's awesome that she finally gets some freedom of will, even if it's only during the Chūnin Exams."

"Hopefully not only," Mei giggled.

"What happens when it's over, though?" Kiba asked her, suddenly turning to her. When she tilted her head, he continued. "I mean, you go back to Kirigakure. If we meet on missions, we will be on opposite sides. What happens then?" The kunoichi sighed. She'd mulled it over in her head. Being friends with a person from an enemy village, even though there was a delicate peace treaty in place, was quite a situation.

"I suppose we fight?" She sighed. Kiba nodded solemnly.

"I don't think I could fight you earnestly."

"I _know_ I couldn't fight you earnestly." Mei replied to that with a sigh.

"Some pair we make," Kiba laughed, but it wasn't a joyful sound. It seemed somehow sad. Bittersweet, almost.

"Indeed," Mei agreed.

* * *

As soon as Tsubaki was fully awake and had had his breakfast, one of the onigiri from his pouch, he sent out a chakra flair, calling out to his team. He sensed Norio quite close to him and chose to follow that thread. After all, the swordsman had direction issues. Tsubaki wasn't willing to take chances on Norio actually finding his way home on his own.

The Kiri shinobi touched his pouch, feeling the two scrolls inside it. They were safe and secure. By his estimate, they'd done rather well for the exam. Surely, they could've secured a scroll and headed for the finish within the first day, but that wouldn't have been the purpose of their mission. They weren't supposed to stand out. In fact, Yanomira had reminded them not to do so.

They were to observe the competition, take in the scenery and Konoha methods, and learn from it what they could. Also, they were to talk to the Hokage at the end, to present the old man with the new peace treaty which the Mizukage had entrusted them with.

And what a troublesome thing that ordeal had been. With the recent change in power at the top of their village, going from Karatachi Yagura to Terumī Mei, Kiri was still reforming. The mission still stood for them, despite the fact that the Mizukage had changed. It was simply the terms of the treaty which had changed. Tsubaki could tell what it had aimed for. The new Mizukage was a crafty one, and he loved it. He couldn't wait to see what she would come up with next.

* * *

Norio returned to the campsite at a rather leisurely pace, stretching out his legs during the walk. He'd washed, drank some water and gotten the majority of the blood off of his clothes. He was ready to go back and woo his new target. But, the scene that he came upon wasn't one that he'd left. There was no tranquility in the clearing, as there had been. No. It had turned into a bloody battlefield in his absence.

The first sign of that he smelled. Then, he felt the exchanges, as if on his own skin. That made him break out into a quick run. He burst out of the bushes, taking in the scene and deciding what had happened in mere seconds. Sakura on the ground, her hair cut short and her face a complete mess. There was blood on her clothes from multiple wounds. Three new shinobi that were unfamiliar to him, wearing Konoha hitai-ate, standing in front of the girl. And, on the opposite side, the three frightened rabbits from the previous night. On the ground, there was another shinobi, clad in green, whose hitai-ate he couldn't see.

"Norio-san!" Sakura called out as soon as she spotted him, making the Oto and Konoha shinobi look at him. Norio, though, didn't give them a chance to react. He pulled Sakurahime out in a single smooth motion, the water containers dropping to the ground. Before they were done clattering, he had already clashed with the closest Oto shinobi, who attempted to ward him off with a kunai.

"Damn Kirigakure scum!" The boy screamed at him, but Norio just smirked. Sakurahime sang in his hands as the shinobi flew back from the force of their impact, landing hard on the ground.

"Zaku, stand back!" Another one came at him greedily, ignoring the Konoha shinobi. True, Norio was certainly the bigger threat. Though, the Kirigakure boy didn't let him get close. He'd seen the odd contraption on his arm and didn't want to risk experiencing whatever that was on his own skin. He switched up his hold on Sakurahime, tucking her under his arm as he did a series of quick hand seals.

"Ino, get back in your own body! You're going to get mistaken for the enemy!" One of the Konoha boys yelled, but Norio was preoccupied. His jutsu complete, he took Sakurahime into his hand again. He skidded into a well-practiced stance, holding her firmly above his head.

"Suiton: Flying Blade!" With a powerful swing, slashes from his katana flew across the clearing, hitting the Oto shinobi running at him head-on. There was no time to evade them.

"Norio-san, be careful!" Sakura yelled. "That shinobi uses some kind of a sound technique to mess with your sense of balance!" But the Oto shinobi had already shaken off the effects of Norio's attack, and they ended up clashing head-on. Sakurahime stopped the slam from the side, her blade singing against the metal contraption on the boy's arm.

"You're mine," the Oto shinobi grinned. Norio felt it before he heard it. A shrill sound wave, hitting his head like a ton of bricks. His ear was bleeding, the image of the shinobi distorting in his eyes. "You're finished!" The Oto boy told him confidently. Norio didn't drop to the floor, though. He looked up, into the eyes of his enemy, a smirk slipping onto his face. He could feel his blood singing to Sakurahime, the excitement making his hands shake more than the force of the attack. This was a battle worth fighting.

"Shall I do you a solid?" Norio growled at the boy, making him balk. He obviously hadn't expected the Kiri shinobi to fight back after his initial attack. Though, Norio's eyes were focused, despite the blurry image that he saw. And, he was ready. He closed his eyes, forgoing his sense of sight, as it was completely crippling at that moment. Instead, he grinned, following the singing liquid of life which called to him.

Then, he swung.

* * *

"What the heck is he?" Tsubaki heard the question before he burst out of the trees, stopping short just behind the line of low bushes. The three Konoha shinobi he'd encountered some time ago stood there, watching the scene unravel. "He's a demon!" The blonde of the group commented, eyes wide and hand over her mouth. Instantly, Tsubaki knew who she was referring to.

"Oi, Norio," the boy called out to his teammate, who seemed rather busy annihilating a team from Otogakure. "We have both scrolls, pack it up!" The Konoha group in front of him whirled around, eyes wide. "Ah, hello there, Nara Shikamaru," Tsubaki greeted with a happy grin, "and friends."

"And friends?" The girl murmured, irritated, but Tsubaki was already walking forward, not quite stepping out of the bushes to join the fray, but standing close enough to make sure he wasn't considered as one of the hiding spectators.

"Shut up!" Norio retorted with a grunt. "I'm busy!" A clash of metal. "Go away!" Tsubaki took a second to inspect the situation. While Norio certainly seemed to be doing well, as he usually did, there was something wrong. He was fighting with his eyes shut, for starters, against two men who used some kind of air pressure jutsu and a weird contraption on an arm. Though, despite the odd techniques, Norio should've been able to dispose of them rather easily.

"Why're you dragging your feet?" Tsubaki huffed, hands going to his hips. "We're in a hurry, would you wrap it up?" Instantly, Sakurahime swung with more force against the Oto shinobi, tossing him away from the swordsman, who turned to Tsubaki, opening his eyes.

"Come here and say that, you-you idiot! Idiotic idiot!" Norio had snapped, judging by his choice of words. Tsubaki sighed again. If there was one thing that he knew about that idiot, it was that his brain simply stopped working in the middle of a fight. It didn't take in or process any information other than the battle itself. If the fight was good, Norio got reduced to an even more imbecilic creature than he already was.

"Your lack of vocabulary is idiotic," Tsubaki yelled to him, one hand at his mouth to amplify the insult, "Fricking primal instincts beast." The boy murmured to himself. Norio didn't reply. Sakurahime slid down from her position in the air, the very tip of her blade going to point at the ground. The swordsman took a breath and Tsubaki grinned. "Give us a good show, idiot." He murmured, much to the astonishment of the Konoha shinobi next to him.

"Your back's wide open!" One of the Oto shinobi aimed at Norio from the back, air pressure focusing from his hands into a single point and firing at the swordsman. Sakurahime flashed. The Oto shinobi dropped to the ground, screaming, gashes all over his torso and arms.

"What the heck?!" The girl from Shikamaru's team exclaimed, in shock. "He's even faster than before! I couldn't see that at all." Tsubaki turned around as Norio advanced on his prey with a smirk that would send shivers down anyone's spine. The Kiri shinobi slicked his blond bangs back with his free hand, the blood from the fingers holding it in place.

"He's the fastest quick-draw I've ever seen, though he doesn't use those skills like he should," Tsubaki smiled at the girl. "Idiot prefers a clash of power to a clash of skills." The girl winced.

"Oi, oi, it's about to get troublesome," Shikamaru pointed out, making Tsubaki turn back around. Indeed, it was about to get troublesome. One of the Konoha shinobi, whom the Kiri boy had discarded as unimportant due to his incapacitated state previously, was rising to his feet.

"Norio, get out of there!" Tsubaki called out in a bored tone.

* * *

Mei stopped in her tracks, looking around. She sighed, her hands crossing in front of her chest in frustration.

"It was around here… somewhere?" She asked, more to herself than anyone else, and looked around once more. But, Tsubaki was nowhere to be found. "Right?" The girl spun in her spot, trying to find her teammate. She was certain that she'd felt the pulse of chakra that was their signal to reassemble come from that spot. Somewhere close by, at least.

"Sen-chan?" Mei called out, turning again. She received no reply. "Sen-chaaaaan!" Nothing. A few birds called out to each other from the trees. The girl sighed, hands dropping to her sides. That was when she felt it. The force of it made her shiver. Norio was fighting. Mei whipped around, looking in the direction of the chakra source. He was fighting hard. Making a split moment decision, the girl pushed her energy into her feet, flying the way she'd felt the chakra coming from.

* * *

"Shit!" Norio cursed, bending back in an odd angle, attempting to evade the boy coming at him with incredible skill and force. He slid Sakurahime into her sheath, pulling the whole katana from his back in order to block the kick that came his way. "Oi, stop! Idiot, I'm on your side!" He yelled at the Konoha shinobi. Though, even Norio, in his battle lust, could see that something was obviously wrong with the surprising crasher of his party.

"Get outta there, Norio!" Tsubaki _helpfully_ yelled from the sidelines, making the swordsman growl. His back slammed into the ground as the Konoha shinobi advanced on him. Norio scrambled, for once, aiming to get back on his feet. He'd seen how the Konoha shinobi had mercilessly ripped the Oto boy's arms out of their sockets. He didn't doubt that he would be next if he didn't make his escape. Fighting was out of the option, as Mei had vetoed battling Naruto's team. He was in a bit of a pickle.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura was calling out, as she'd been for a while now, "Norio-san helped us! He's on our side!" But, the Konoha shinobi seemed to far gone. He slammed a kick into Norio, which the boy managed to soften, but not avoid. However, after one had fought Tsubaki as many times as Norio had, it wasn't an issue. He could deal with the force. He grabbed that same leg that had slammed into him and flipped the boy over, then rose, moving back swiftly, hands up.

"I didn't fight him!" Norio shouted at Tsubaki. "You were here, you saw I didn't fight him one bit!"

"Flipping him over isn't fighting?" Tsubaki asked, his fingers holding his chin as he mused about it.

"It was self-defense!"

"What was?" Norio stopped short, eyes wide, wincing as he turned to the newcomer. Mei stood among the trees, arms crossed and a glare on her face.

"I just flipped him over, c'mon, Mei!" Luckily, the Konoha shinobi seemed to have stopped advancing on Norio. Sakura had hugged the boy from the back, successfully calming him down.

"That's fighting, Norio-chan," Mei replied.

"It was self-defense!"

"Still fighting."

"Was I supposed to let him skewer me?!"

"You could've run."

"There was no time!"

"You still could've," Norio turned to Mei then, a glare on his face. "And, look at all that blood in your hair…" The boy sighed, sliding to the floor, giving up the fight he knew he would lose every single time.

* * *

Saeko found Kaede in the medicinal garden of the Shitchi Temple, right after the old healer had had her breakfast. The young girl was kneeling, checking each plant carefully, then picking the ones she needed for the making of various salves and medicines at the Temple that day.

"Kaede, dear girl, always so hard at work," Saeko gave her a loving look, coming to stand close to her as her fingers glided along the leaves of one of the rare medicinal plants. Kaede looked up, smiling at her teacher.

"Work won't get done on its own," she repeated the words the old healer had told her once, a long time ago, when they'd first started working together. It seemed like centuries to Kaede, when she'd first arrived at the Temple. She'd been a scared little thing back then, not certain who she was or who she wanted to be. She'd been so lost at that tall Tori gate, seeking answers she still hadn't found. But, the old healer had managed to help her find solace in that world they lived in, the one where questions went unanswered all too often.

"Well, I can't exactly disagree with that," Saeko laughed. "Sachi-san is almost in labor, the next few days I'll be busy with her and the baby, monitoring. Since Jōichirō is useless, I'm going to have to give you the boy he brought." Kaede's eyes widened, the girl stopping her work.

"Give him to me?" She asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, he'll be your patient from now on," Saeko told her. "Take care of him, talk to him, dress his wound. These are all things you're familiar with. If there are any questions, come to me." Kaede was left sitting in the garden, completely still in shock, as the old healer walked away with a small smile on her face. The girl couldn't believe it. She would be the primary caretaker at last. And, not only for a flu outbreak or a minor injury at the village. No, she would be taking care of a boy who'd almost died. Their little miracle who had crawled out of his own grave.

Kaede smiled to herself, her work going by much quicker. She was eager to finish in order to see _her patient_. When she properly washed, tied and left the plants either to dry or placed them in the right containers for further use, the girl rushed to see her charge. The room which they'd placed him in, with the help of a few villagers and an eager Jōichirō, was called the daisy room. It was definitely one of Kaede's favorites, as well. The space itself was very traditional, like the whole Temple, but with a single thing that set the room apart from the others. There was a sliding door that led to the garden in the middle of the old structure, which Saeko and Kaede had fashioned into a koi pond. The name, daisy room, had come from the small patches of the flowers which grew right under the walkway in the front of the sliding door, wild and wholly untamable. Another reason for the name, though, was due to the nature of patients who resided in it. They were the men, women, and children who had been critical once, but the healers had high hopes for. The daisy room was their recovery room. Their faith room. Their miracle room. And, for whom would it be more suitable than for their miracle boy?

He lay on his bed, still, as always, only his chest slowly rising and falling with deep breaths. Kaede made sure to keep him well sedated, so that he wouldn't wake to the pain of his wounds in the middle of the night by any chance. As soon as she entered the space, the healer-in-training lit the lanterns inside, due to the thick mist obscuring the sunlight outside, and then started preparing an IV for the boy.

"What shall I talk to you about today?" She mused to herself, her voice light and feathery, as always. Since Saeko had told her to talk to the boy, despite his unconscious state, she'd done her best to do so. At first, it had been awkward and rather difficult. But, after a few days, she'd set into a comfortable rhythm. She'd been telling him everything, about the Shitchi Temple, herself, Saeko, Jōichirō, Mei and the village that lied in the crook of the mountain. Recently she'd resorted to retelling old stories and fairy tales she'd heard in her time at the Temple. "Right, I stopped halfway last time," Kaede reminded herself. She walked over to the boy, setting up the IV as she talked.

"We stopped where the woman discovered that there was a way out of the marshes, didn't we?" The boy's face remained serene at her question, leaving it unanswered. "So we did," Kaede said more to herself than him. "She walked for days, going hungry and thirsty on the harsh road that she didn't know. But, she knew that she had to follow the path the man had told her to. He had said she would find her destiny at the end of it, after all. All those questions about the world and herself, she would find answered once the fog cleared." Kaede sat down on the chair next to the bed, taking the boy's cool hand and gently caressing it as she talked.

"It took her a dozen days and a dozen nights of following that path to leave the fog. When she saw the sun for the first time, ever, she thought it had been the wrath of Gods coming upon her. It took her a second, blinking in awe, to realize that people lived underneath that magnificence every day, freely. And, that she could do so, as well, if she chose," the girl paused, taking a breath. She smiled, then continued with the story she'd heard many times. "It was on the thirteenth day, while she was walking underneath the warm rays of the sun that a noise made her stop and look behind her, to the road. Something was coming her way. The first thing she saw were the horses. Magnificent, tall beasts of amber coats and calm, black eyes. They pulled behind them carriages of all colors, people on them, dogs running around them, music playing and laughter ringing through it. The woman stood in awe, watching as the first, second and third carriage passed her. Then, when the fourth came upon her, the man driving it addressed her." Kaede made another small pause, taking a sip of water that she'd brought for herself.

"Are you lost, the man asked her. The woman looked up at him. Never before had she seen such a man. Of blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in the most vibrant of clothing she couldn't even imagine. I'm lost, she told the man earnestly. And he laughed at that, before telling her that she was lucky, for she'd come upon the Sun Caravan. That was where all the lost souls found their way again." Kaede finished the section of her story in a low, almost nostalgic tone. She was looking at the boy's hand in her own, the numerous callouses on it from wielding some kind of a weapon, she was certain. That was when the most peculiar thing happened. The usually limp fingers in her palm moved, with a slow and gentle twitch.

"Did she find herself at the caravan?" A rather delicate, almost feminine voice asked, obviously sore from the lack of usage. Kaede's head snapped up, her eyes wide, and she was struck mute and still on the spot.

A pair of dark hickory eyes were looking at her inquisitively, curiously. As the light from the lanterns hit them, she saw hues of honey swirling there, mixed with flecks of green, reminding Kaede of a deep forest. She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

* * *

 **That's all for now folks!**

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **akagami hime chan:  
Thank you so much for the support T_T The long review made me super happy!  
Sakura x Norio is hilarious in my eyes, so I couldn't help myself and did it xD Norio is a bit unhinged and more than a little obsessed with his katana… hence, well, yeah xD Sakurahime all the way in his head hahahaha Sakura's more like, damn, he's actually hot xD It's hilarious! I can't get enough of that disastrous joke waiting to explode xD I think all Naruto characters, therefore OCs, too, are a bit unhinged? xD  
Hmmm, I'm definitely keeping as much of the canon as possible, though silly Norio was busy trying to fix himself out of getting yelled at by Mei and missed the whole epic Sakura moment xD Tell you the truth, he wouldn't've been able to just watch, hence I had him sit it out xD  
Rant anytime :D Makes me happy as heck! Hope you enjoyed the update :)  
Best!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I had fun writing this chapter :D Looking forward to any feedback!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Apprentice**

Kaede did the most undignified thing she'd done, perhaps coming a close second to puking next to the table after trying Tsubaki's cooking. With a loud scream, she attempted to stand up, but got tangled up in her yukata, legs and the chair, ending up on her back, legs high in the air, giving quite the view to her patient. And after that, with her face flushed to an almost impossible shade of red, the girl was left gaping on the floor.

"A-are you alright?" The boy asked, trying to sit up, but then groaning, his hand going to his chest. That was the moment Kaede's instincts kicked in and she scrambled to her feet, not bothering to fix her kimono as she rushed to the bed.

"Slowly," she instructed, one hand behind the boy's back, the other gently pushing him back down. "I'll get you something to drink, one moment," and Kaede shamelessly pushed chakra into the tips of her toes, for the first time in years, rushing to the kitchen for a glass of fresh liquid. As she passed Sachi's room on her way back, she didn't bother knocking and just poked her head in. Saeko was there, inspecting the swollen belly.

"Kaede?" The old healer asked in an inquisitive tone.

"He's awake!" Kaede only said, before leaving the room again. She came back into the daisy chamber to see her patient lying where she'd left him, face turned to watch the door. As she walked over, Kaede smiled gently at him. "I'm going to help you sit up, alright? Let me know if anything hurts." When he gave her a small nod, then winced, Kaede sprung into action. She placed the glass on the nightstand, then got a pillow from the dresser and went over to the boy.

He was watching her carefully, curiously, like a newborn almost. He looked horribly confused, yet somehow pretty, still. Kaede instructed him carefully in her usual feathery tone to allow her to do the hard work, her arms holding him up as she pushed a pillow under his back and helped him sit up in the bed.

"How does that feel?" She asked when she settled him in the best position she could without irritating his wound.

"A-a little tight," he told her and she instantly went to work, making him more comfortable. "That's much better. Thank you," the boy said and Kaede offered him the glass of water, holding it as he drank.

"Small sips," the healer-in-training told him. "You've been off solid food for a while and I don't want to upset your stomach." When he was done, she removed the glass, grabbing a tissue off the nightstand and wiping the few drops of water which had dripped down his chin. "I'm Kaede," she smiled at him yet again. "Saeko-sama will be in soon, she's the main healer here," she explained.

"Where is here?" The boy asked her uncertainly, his voice in a low whisper.

"You're at the Shitchi Temple, in Mizu no Kuni," Kaede said. "Jōichirō-sama brought you here. We've been taking care of you for a few days now." The boy looked around, the hazel eyes taking in his surroundings with curious care.

"I-I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he said in a low voice. Kaede immediately waved his concern off.

"Nonsense, it was no inconvenience whatsoever. It's what we do here," she smiled at him gently when she saw the shocked wide-eyed look on his gentle face. "We might not be the Sun Caravan, but we _are_ the most famous healing center in the land, if not beyond," she gently patted his hand on top of the covers. "You're sure to find serenity here, if not answers." Then, the boy chuckled, one hand going to his mouth to cover it in a rather feminine motion.

"I quite liked that story," he told her honestly, as Kaede watched him in disbelief. He looked quite serene, already. Almost angelic.

"Me too," Kaede admitted, walking away from the bed to get more supplies. "I'm going to check on your wound now, alright?" After receiving a nod of approval, Kaede started working on undoing the bandages around his torso. She was, however, all too aware of those lovely eyes following every one of her movements.

* * *

"Aaah! It's you!" Naruto pointed at Mei, who paused her rant at Norio to look up at the Konoha shinobi. "Ramen nee-san!"

"Hello, future Hokage," Mei greeted with a smile and a small wave. "How are you enjoying the exam?" Naruto walked over, happily chatting with her and Norio took that moment to make his escape.

"They… know each other?" Ino asked Sakura, her kunai not pausing in its movements, arranging the rushed cut that Sakura had made on her hair.

"Apparently," the girl confirmed, looking at Naruto and the Kiri kunoichi, who were laughing together. By the way the boy was talking animatedly, waving his hands around and grinning widely at the girl, Sakura didn't doubt that they were familiar with each other. The Kiri kunoichi, also, wasn't put off by Naruto's eagerness, but rather seemed to welcome it with glee.

"How in the world did _Naruto_ manage to make friends with people from Kiri?" Ino asked, flabbergasted.

"Apparently he bought Mei ramen," a new voice spoke, the two girls looking over to see Norio coming up to them. "And when it comes to that girl, if you feed her, she's friends with you," he grinned, crouching down in front of Sakura. "You have my apologies, Sakura-hime. I shouldn't have left you alone." Ino watched as the sword-wielding demon from before transformed completely, looking like a rather unthreatening handsome boy. There was a certain charm to his words and on his handsome face, which she couldn't help but be wary about.

"Ah, it's no problem, Norio-san, really!" Sakura waved her hands in front of herself, assuring him. "I think that, unless you'd stayed with me until Naruto and Sasuke had woken up, the outcome would've been similar," she looked down solemnly. "I was simply too easy of a prey for them." Norio took her trembling hands, raising them and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Sakura immediately felt her cheeks get hot.

"If I'd known, I'd have stayed, I assure you," he vowed. "I thought I'd managed to scare them off the idea of an open-battle confrontation last night. Turns out they were pretty determined."

"Oi, Norio!" The boy whipped around when his teammate called out to him. Tsubaki and Mei were standing next to Naruto, Shikamaru and Chōji, waving the last member of their group over. "We're going to head out now. Stop flirting and let's go." Tsubaki grinned smugly.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Norio barked at him, before turning back to the girls. "I have to go. Take care until the end of the exam and let us meet at the finish line, Sakura-hime." With a parting, semi-formal bow of his head, Norio rose and joined his team. They seemed to start arguing immediately, Mei being forced to physically push the two boys apart in order to stop them from fighting.

"Oh, an admirer?" Ino teased. Though, she couldn't help the feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was always Sakura. Sakura who got to be on the same team as Sasuke. Sakura who got pampered by her sensei. Sakura who got the affection of a strong Kiri shinobi. It was _always_ Sakura.

"I… don't really know," the girl replied, touching the spot on her knuckles which Norio had pressed his lips to. It made the blush on her face intensify. "I don't know what to make of him."

"Well, it all worked out in the end, I suppose," Ino grinned, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The Kiri group bade their goodbyes, Mei ruffling Naruto's hair with clear affection, before they vanished. Sakura was left watching the spot where the swordsman had stood a second ago, wondering what Norio's gentleness towards her meant.

* * *

"So, it's done?" Norio asked, frowning at the Chūnin standing in front of them. "Somehow, this seems unsatisfying as an ending," the swordsman messed with his hair, huffing. "Are you sure we're not supposed to beat you or something in order to pass?" He asked the Chūnin hopefully.

"Ah, no," the man seemed rather baffled at the eagerness of the Kiri boy. "You've already completed this stage," he told them. "Just proceed to the waiting area when you're ready." The Chūnin pointed to the door behind him and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that was interesting," Tsubaki commented in the silence of the room. The boy dropped to the ground, sitting crisscross. He was grinning happily.

"Well I'm happy it's over," Mei groaned, sliding to her knees next to Tsubaki. "I'm exhausted! And famished! Do you guys have any food?" She hopefully asked.

"I'm not satisfied with this!" Norio complained, turning to the other two. "One of you, fight me! Give me some release! I've still got some pent-up frustration after those Oto shinobi ran like little rabbits!" He grabbed the strap of Sakurahime, ready to draw her. "None of the teams who were waiting at the finish line were good enough, either!"

It hadn't taken them longer than thirty minutes to cross the forest and come within the vicinity of the tower, which was their goal. There had been two teams waiting, traps fully laid out, hoping to grab one of their scrolls. Norio had ripped through them, like a shark in the shallows eager for much needed food. Mei and Tsubaki were left to slowly walk behind him, following the path of carnage and the sounds of clashing in front of them. They'd chatted easily, about what they would do when they got back home and what would be the best way to present the new treaty to the Hokage.

"As if," Mei huffed, "Maybe you'll get your fill in the next round," she plopped further to the cold floor like some kind of a limp starfish. "If you have the energy, carry me instead. I'm done." Norio grunted, but walked over regardless, kneeling in front of the girl.

"C'mon, then," the boy told her, "Let's go find some amusement." Mei happily smiled, pushing herself up and then crawling onto Norio's back. He hoisted her up, carefully sliding his hands under her thighs so that she wouldn't fall off when he stood. "Tsubaki, I won't wait for you."

"Yes, yes," Tsubaki hopped to his feet with that same joyful smile, walking behind Norio. "So, what are your impressions of the exam?"

"Boring," Norio shrugged.

"Exhausting," Mei groaned.

"I thought it was rather fun!" Tsubaki added, opening the door to the next room. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. It looked like a space made for waiting. There were benches along the wall, in wood, as well as a wide expanse of tiled floor. "Shall we go over there?" Tsubaki picked an easy bench. It was in a corner, away from the door, where they could see the whole room clearly.

"Sure," Norio agreed, and the two headed for it in silence. "She asleep already?" The swordsman asked at Mei's silence.

"Like the dead," Tsubaki chuckled. "Let me," he gently took the kunoichi from Norio's back, placing her on the bench. The swordsman took off his hoodie in a single smooth motion, folding it and placing it under the girl's head. Meanwhile, Tsubaki made certain that the heavy bag which Mei always had on her wasn't on top of her, hindering her rest.

"She'll be up and ready in time for the end of the round," Norio concluded, hands on his hips. The swordsman dropped to the floor, Tsubaki joining him. They sat in silence for a moment.

"How strong were they?" Tsubaki asked, not looking at his teammate. Instead, the boy fiddled with the hem of his trousers carelessly. The question had been plaguing his mind ever since he'd interrupted Norio's battle with the Oto shinobi.

"Not that strong," Norio sighed back.

"Why were you doing so badly, then?" Tsubaki hadn't missed the sluggish movement of his teammate. Norio had been doing _badly_ in that battle. There were no limbs being severed or blood gushing out from multiple wounds. It was odd, for one who loved spilling blood as much as he did.

"We got those orders, didn't we?" Norio sighed, leaning back. "Don't stand out, right?" Tsubaki nodded, the whole battle making sense. Norio should've been able to crush the team rather easily. It wouldn't have taken as much time if he'd been free to fight as he wished. Yet, Yanomira's last orders to them had made the battle unnecessarily risky. "I was careful to do only the basic jutsu and not overdo it with swordsmanship. It was annoying." Silence rang throughout the wide room.

"Wanna play stabscotch?" Tsubaki asked, pulling a sharp kunai from his holster.

"Yeah," Norio agreed, but he didn't seem that into it. He still won the game easily, though.

* * *

"Everything looks good," Saeko confirmed, moving away from the boy on the bed. She nodded to him, then Kaede.

"Saeko-sama!" The door of the daisy room opened with a slam, startling the three people inside. Kōji was standing there, panting hard.

"Kōji-kun?" Kaede uttered, eyes-wide. "Are you alright?" Kōji caught his breath, looking up at the two women. Then, when he saw the boy in the bed awake and sitting up, he pointed at him in shock.

"He's awake!"

"Indeed, he is," Saeko confirmed.

"But, but," Kōji stuttered. "He was on the death's door a few days ago!" Kaede chuckled into her hand, looking at the boy in the bed, who didn't seem to enjoy the attention much, though looked amused by the reaction.

"I guess I'm just lucky," the boy replied.

"We're just that good, you brat," Saeko told the boy in an icy tone. Kōji dropped to his knees at that, seeming to remember the reason why he'd run up the numerous steps all the way to the Temple.

"Saeko-sama, the clawfish!" Kōji told them, making the two women immediately exchange worried glances. "The clawfish bit Sho! He's in a lot of pain, sensei!" Saeko groaned.

"I've told that boy numerous times not to play near the water," she grumbled, gathering her things and then going towards the door. "Kaede, the Temple is in your care while I take care of _idiots who don't listen_!" Kōji winced at the obviously scolding remark, jumping to his shaking feet. "Honestly, what else will happen today? An earthquake? Outbreak of the flu?" Saeko grumbled as she grabbed the collar of Kōji's shirt, dragging the boy out with her. There was a moment of silence after the two left.

"Ah, is it a busy time?" The boy on the bed asked. Kaede jumped a bit, turning to him.

"Well, we have a couple with a troubling pregnancy in the iris room," she told him, "Also, with you awake now, we need to make sure to monitor your wound at all times." The boy seemed to process the information for a moment, before offering her a rather bright smile.

"I'll be fine, I'll follow the instructions Saeko-sama gave me diligently," he promised. "You ought to take care of your other patients." Kaede couldn't help but watch him for a moment. He looked so delicate, frail somehow, in that bed. While he was moving and talking, his skin was still very pale and he seemed to smile with too much energy to it, as if he was forcing it. Kaede didn't take even a second to make her decision.

"Well, Taro-san is with Sachi-san," she told him, pulling up a chair to his bedside. "He'll come call me if there are any problems or developments. So, for now, you're the patient I'm going to be watching over." He seemed startled at that, opening his mouth, then closing it.

"I… feel bad that you have to be here, and not with them," he admitted finally. Kaede smiled softly, taking his hand and rubbing it between her warmer ones. That made him look up from his lap and stare at her incredulously.

"There's no need," she assured him. "I'm quite capable of monitoring two cases at the same time," when he didn't reply, Kaede decided to take control of the conversation. "So, Jōichirō-sama said that you don't remember much? Can you recall anything before waking up?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows, thinking.

"I… I remember the earth all around me, suffocating me," he told her. "Then, a man with greying red hair and a wide smile on his face talking to me."

"That would be Jōichirō-sama, the Master at the Temple," Kaede nodded.

"After that, I can only recall bits and pieces of stories," he said. "Was it you? The person who kept talking to me?" Kaede felt herself blush, looking down.

"A-ah, yes," she spoke timidly. "Saeko-sama said that talking to you would help. I'm sorry, I just blabbered about anything and everything I could think of at the moment." His hand, limp until that moment, squeezed hers.

"Thank you," he was smiling when she looked up at him. "I quite enjoyed listening to you. You have a very nice voice," Kaede blushed profusely. She'd been told numerous times by various patients how her feathery voice soothed them in their hardest times. Yet, coming from this boy, it seemed to hold more meaning.

"I'm happy that it helped," she admitted. The door burst open, Taro standing there with disheveled hair and bags under his eyes.

"Saeko-sama!" He called out urgently, making Kaede drop the boy's hand and whirl around.

"Taro-san? Saeko-sama isn't here. What's wrong?" The healer stood, inspecting the man's state. Rumpled clothing and disheveled hair, marks on his face from sleeping at the edge of his wife's bed. The tired look on his face and those dark circles around his eyes. The man was exhausted.

"S-something's wrong, Kaede-sama!" Taro told her in a panicked voice. "There's so much blood…" His head dropped, gaze lost in the memory. But, Kaede didn't hesitate. She sprang into action.

"You-" she turned back to the boy on the bed. "Don't move!" And she was gone, slipping past Taro to rush into Sachi's room. The boy was left sitting on his bed, blinking after her in confusion. Then, he slowly relaxed more into his pillows, looking to the man in the doorway curiously.

"Would you like to sit down?" He asked the tired Taro. In a daze, the man nodded, wandering over to Kaede's chair and plopping down, head in his hands. "From what I've seen, Kaede-san is a capable healer," the boy attempted to console the man. "I'm certain that she won't fail you." Taro didn't reply, instead propping his head up with his hands, shaking in silence with tears.

* * *

"Ouch!" At the yelp, Kiba turned around, instead choosing to enter through a specific door. Hinata and Shino were close behind him. As soon as they entered the wide room, they spotted the duo in the corner. One of them was holding his hand, a kunai stabbed in it, blood everywhere. "Dammit, I hit my pinky!" He complained in a strained tone.

"Just cut it off," the other laughed. "Not like you need it, anyways," more laughter.

"Shut up, Norio," replied the wounded shinobi, pulling out the kunai, more blood gushing out. "Dammit, check if there's any bandages in Mei's bag." But, the other shinobi just shook his head.

"No way! Last time I went rummaging in there I got poisoned!" Before they could continue their conversation, though, a soft voice interrupted them.

"U-um," the two shinobi on the floor turned to look at the newcomers. "I have some bandages?" Hinata told them, walking over with her teammates in tow.

"Oh, thanks!" the boy with the bleeding hand grinned at her. "That's a big help!" The kunoichi knelt next to him, pulling out some bandages and a salve from her pouch. She carefully washed it out with the water from her bottle and then died, stopping the blood. The salve Hinata rubbed in was white and gooey, smelling pleasantly of plants. She followed through with a secure bandage. "Uwaah! You're super good at this!" The boy with the injury told her.

"A-ah um e-erm n-not really," the girl blushed, shaking her head. But, Kiba's attention had been on the boy for long enough.

"Aren't you Mei's teammate?" He asked, breaking the stuttering that was bound to happen after Hinata received her praise. That was when the injured boy looked up, inspecting the other two shinobi more closely.

"Ah, Mei's Konoha boyfriend!" He pointed at Kiba with his uninjured hand.

"Boyfriend?" The other boy asked, head whipping around.

"B-boyfriend?!" Hinata looked ready to pass out.

"N-no, I'm not!" Kiba defended, face red. "We just know each other, okay?" He huffed, much to the amusement of the injured boy.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," the Kiri shinobi reassured. "Tsubaki Sentarō, at your service," he introduced smoothly. "That over there's Norio, and you already know our sleeping beauty, don't you?" He nodded towards the bench behind them, where Kiba spotted Mei, completely out cold.

"Ah, nice to meetcha. What's wrong with her? Got injured?" He asked, craning his neck to see the girl.

"Inuzuka Kiba, Hyūga Hinata and Aburame Shino," Shino spoke up in a bored tone, pointing to each of the team members. "Don't be rude, Kiba." Tsubaki bowed at that, nodding.

"No worries," the Kiri shinobi brushed off Kiba's behavior. "She's just a bit tired. We opted for letting her sleep, rather than having a nasty Mei on our hands," Tsubaki patted the spot on the floor, inviting the Konoha team to join them. "You guys wanna play stabscotch?"

"Ah, no thanks," Kiba shook his head, but the team joined them on the floor regardless. "I like my fingers attached, thank you very much." Tsubaki noted the quivering dog in the boy's hoodie.

"What's wrong with him?" the shinobi asked, pointing. Kiba frowned.

"We ran into that redheaded guy from Suna earlier," he told them. "Something dropped out of his gourd, so Akamaru went to pick it up and return it to him. Found out it was a human tooth. Still bloody, too." Hinata closed her eyes, arms going around herself. "Not to mention that sand smells of quite a few blood types." Tsubaki looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Interesting," Norio spoke up with a grin for the first time after the Konoha shinobi had joined them. Tsubaki groaned.

"Don't go seeking him out, idiot," the Kiri shinobi glared at his teammate. "You're gonna get killed." Norio twirled his kunai effortlessly.

"That's the fun of it, though."

* * *

There was blood everywhere. Kaede knew she needed another set of hands. But, there was nobody to help her. She needed to do this on her own. The baby still hadn't properly turned. Yet, it was coming. It was coming now. She knew that there were only three options in the situation. An emergency C-section, waiting for it to turn during labor or turning it herself.

"No, there's another," Kaede murmured to herself, ignoring Sachi's grunts of pain. "Sachi-san, we're going to deliver the baby in posterior position! You're going to have to push when I tell you to, alright?" Sachi nodded weakly to her.

Kaede let go of the woman to add another blood transfusion to the line. She wiped the sweat of the woman's forehead carefully, then washed her hands again. Soon, Kaede back between Sachi's legs, monitoring the dilation.

"You're ready to deliver, Sachi-san. I'm going to need you to push now," Kaede instructed and the woman obliged almost instantly. With a muted grunt, she did her best to push the baby. Kaede spotted the blood coming out, but she wasn't worried. That much blood was normal for a birth. Perhaps it was a little too much, but she could handle it with transfusion and careful healing with her jutsu afterwards. "Push again, Sachi-san," Kaede's voice turned calm, her eyes focused, ready to follow the steps she _knew_ she needed to. She'd read this in a textbook. She'd seen numerous goats and horses give birth in such a way. Human birth surely couldn't be all that much different.

With another push the baby appeared. Kaede gently grasped it, waiting for Sachi to push again. Then, as if in mere seconds, which was more of hours in that delivery room, the young baby boy was in Kaede's arms, crying loudly. She smiled, looking over at the exhausted mother.

"It's a beautiful baby boy, Sachi-san," Kaede told her. She quickly cut the umbilical cord, and cleaned up the baby, before placing it into the mother's awaiting arms. "We're going to deliver the afterbirth now, Sachi-san," Kaede said in her usual feathery tone. "Everything will be fine." And she took the baby, placing it in a crib right next to the mother. When Sachi looked at her next, she seemed much surer of herself. Then, the woman pushed again, more blood spilling out. But, it didn't scare Kaede anymore. She knew _exactly_ what she was doing.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the update!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Bonds for life**

Mei woke up to yelling. She opened her eyes and immediately found the source of the noise. Kiba and Norio were struggling over something on the floor, rolling around. Tsubaki couldn't stop laughing, while Hinata seemed torn between attempting to stop them and hyperventilating. Shino, he had a poker face, as always.

"Norio," Mei's crackly voice from her sleep made the boy freeze, Kiba tearing whatever they'd been scrambling over from the swordsman's hands. "Shut up." Mei finished and Norio shot up to a seated position.

"Yessir," he saluted, then winced, "Ma'am." Mei groaned. Tsubaki couldn't stop laughing. Kiba was rejoicing over the item in his hands. It was chaos.

"How much longer?" Mei asked in a tired voice.

"A-ah, we have another two days, it seems," Hinata told her from her spot on the floor. "Though, it is the middle of the night right now." Mei plopped back down to the bench.

"Can we get some food here?" The girl asked. "I'm famished."

"You're always famished," Norio complained, still pouting over the scuffle he'd just lost.

"Are you calling me fat?"

"I'm calling you gluttonous."

"I see," Norio visibly paled at her tone of voice.

"I bet Norio's gonna end up in the bathroom with a nice case of explosive diarrhea due to mild poisoning yet again," Tsubaki raised his hand, piping up. That made the swordsman wince, remembering why he held their only kunoichi in high regard. Mei had never been liked at the Academy. In fact, none of them had. They'd started it too old to be called proper. But, most of all, Mei had come from a family that practically invited ridiculing. Her grandmother had forsaken the path of kunoichi in order to become a healer and marry a monk. Her mother, despite her talents in shinobi skills, had opted to forever abandon Kirigakure, leaving to travel with the tramps and thieves of the Sun Caravan. It was a shameful family to produce a kunoichi, in the eyes of other students.

But, Mei had never let that get her down. Instead, she'd fought back against those malicious rumors in sneaky, skillful ways. A poisoning here, a win in grades there, the girl had shut them all up in no time. Even after the trio had been assigned to Yanomira, back in the day when Norio could mostly remember his eyes seeing red and Sakurahime being the loudest voice in his head, Mei had never allowed herself to be viewed as weak. Heck, he'd been poisoned more times than he could count, mildly, but surely. He didn't doubt that she would put him out of action if he pissed her off enough.

"Wha-? You've poisoned your teammates before?" Kiba balked at Mei.

"Only mildly," she shrugged. "They're all fine, as you can see," the girl reasoned, pointing at the two sitting in front of her.

"Kiri sure has a tough system," Kiba mused.

"It's a dog eat dog kind of world, excuse the pun," Tsubaki grinned. "Makes you strong, but also breaks your moral compass." Mei opened her mouth to disagree, but then stopped. He was right. As much as she wanted to believe that all of her actions were thought through and done with complete sanity, her moral compass _had_ been broken. Beyond repair, perhaps.

"If you would argue that, however, you ought to include all the shinobi," Shino spoke up, while Kiba seemed to have lost the trail of the conversation, opting to mess with Akamaru instead.

"Oh, but if you consider how different Chigiri no Sato was compared to, let's say, Konohagakure, just a few years back," Tsubaki elaborated. "You have to admit that there is more 'character breaking' so to speak going on in Kirigakure. So many more gray areas."

"Would that mean that you'd consider Konoha shinobi soft?" Shino asked.

"Not necessarily," Tsubaki shrugged. "But, certainly different." Mei, however, was getting a headache from the undoubtedly quickly to turn philosophical conversation. She stood from the bench, brushed her hair back and straightened out her dress.

"I'm gonna go find some food," the girl said. "I'll leave this here. Norio, you're in charge of it." The girl placed her heavy bag on the floor next to the swordsman on the floor, getting a nod of approval. Then, she left the room. Before Mei could even clear the door, though, Kiba fell into step with her, Akamaru running around his feet.

"Food's definitely not on the left," the boy told her. "I've been that way before and there's only more rooms like this."

"Let's go right, then," Mei smiled up at him, and the two headed out to find something to eat.

* * *

Kaede had finally managed to wrap everything up in the iris room, and was leaving it with a soft sigh. When the door closed behind her, she allowed herself a moment to take a deep breath and slowly release it. Then, she walked towards the daisy room, ready to give Taro the good news. His young wife and their newborn son were both sleeping soundly, in perfect health. She knocked softly and then entered. However, the image she was met with wasn't one that she'd expected.

Taro was talking, which was a rare occurrence. He had been a man filled with dread and apprehension ever since he'd arrived at the Shitchi Temple. Then, sitting there, next to the bed in the daisy room, he looked more like his old self. He was chatting animatedly with the miracle boy on the bed, who seemed to simply be nodding and chuckling lowly, his hand in a delicate motion going to his mouth to cover it. Was it really a boy? Kaede found herself wondering.

"Taro-san," she called out, breaking the delicate moment between the two. "Congratulations, you have a healthy son," Taro let out a sigh of relief, slumping in his chair. Then, he noted the blood on Kaede's kimono and apron.

"And Sachi? Is she alright?"

"She's sleeping right now, but she'll be fine," Kaede reassured him. "It was a bit of a difficult birth, but both of them will be perfectly fine." Taro visibly relaxed, all the tension leaving his body. The boy on the bed smiled brightly.

"That's good to hear, isn't it, Taro-san?" Kaede grinned at the boy, nodding.

"I'm just going to wash up quickly, but I'll be at the Temple should anything happen that requires medical attention." The girl told them, before turning around to go take the shower she needed quite a bit. The blood was starting to dry on her skin, and she didn't particularly care for the sensation. That was when a loud knocking sound rang throughout the Temple. Kaede sighed, giving up the blissful idea of washing the blood off herself. "What will it be next?" The girl murmured to herself, suddenly understanding Saeko much better.

"Kaede-neesan!" Kōji burst into the Temple, not waiting for an invitation. "Sho's leg! Saeko-sama needs help with the amputation!" Kaede had a fleeting feeling of simply wanting to drop to the ground and fall asleep, right there and then, until the situation went away.

"Ah, I see," the girl sighed. "I'll…" She realized that there was nothing she _could_ do. She couldn't leave the Temple, with the newborn and Sachi still needing to be monitored. Not even to mention that their miracle boy still had a rather serious wound that needed constant supervision. Kaede couldn't _afford_ to leave the Temple. What had Saeko been thinking? Sending for her?

"What's got your pretty little head in such a troublesome state, little Kaede?" Jōichirō's familiar voice asked, one of his large hands falling to her sweaty and unruly curls, messing them up even further. Kaede gasped, turning around. She'd almost forgotten, in the insanity of the morning, that the Master was home.

"Master!" Kaede whirled around, knowing exactly what to do. Jōichirō gave her a grin, already grasping the situation.

"What do you need me to do?" The Master asked, ready to be employed by the Temple yet again. After all, that was what his wife always did when he was at home. She piled the excess work she had on him.

"Ah, Kōji-kun, I'll be with you in a minute," Kaede instructed the boy to make himself at home, as he usually did at the Temple. Then, she turned to the Master. "I'll take you through the current patient profiles and give you the basic rundown." Jōichirō followed her dutifully into the iris room, where Kaede ran him through the situation as briefly as possible. The Master nodded, then followed her towards the daisy room.

"Kaede-chan, you _do_ remember that I taught Saeko almost everything she knows about healing, don't you?" Jōichirō laughed when Kaede began simplifying the case for him as much as she could. However, the healer turned to him, hands on her hips.

"You may have taught Saeko-sama the basics, Master," the girl said in a stern voice. "But, Saeko-sama has developed her healing as a fusion of iryo-ninjutsu and your teachings. It's nothing like what you know. I need to be thorough." Jōichirō laughed again, raising his hands in a defensive motion.

"Alright, alright," he smiled, ruffling Kaede's hair again. "You're the boss, missy." The girl continued listing her instructions as she smoothed her hair down as best she could. Then, she opened the door to the daisy room, letting Jōichirō join the two men who'd gone back to chatting.

"I won't be long, until then, you're in charge, Master." Kaede bowed, and then rushed towards the entrance, where Kōji waited for her. "Kōji-kun, how is Sho, tell me everything." Kaede grabbed her travel kit, the two leaving in a hurry.

Through the door of the Shitchi Temple, the two came upon a small garden out front. It was built around the last few steps which took a visitor to the temple. The bushes and branches of poisonous and useless plants had either been completely removed or maneuvered around, in order to give way to the most common of healing greenery which could grow wild in the area. Goldenseal, ginseng, black cohosh and spicebush were the four which were the easiest to grow in that area due to lack of sunlight. Kaede had tried planting chamomile and lavender, as well, but they hadn't taken too well to the mist around them. So, as the two descended the wide slabs of stone that Jōichirō had dug into the road to make it more accessible years ago, they were surrounded by the pleasant smell of spicebush masking the rather potent notes of the black cohosh. Saeko had been the one to insist on planting them disproportionately, as the latter had quite an unpleasant note.

Kōji took the time as they rushed down the steps to tell Kaede about Sho's condition. The clawfish had bitten his ankle, and the poison had unfortunately managed to spread to the calf. It all had to go, Saeko had said to them. Kōji seemed rather composed, in Kaede's opinion. Clawfish attacks were a normal occurrence in the village, which is why everyone tried to avoid the water as much as possible. There weren't many who survived it, and if they did, they all lost either parts of flesh or whole limbs that had been infected by the poison. The only known person who had lived through the whole ordeal of poison infecting the system had been Mei. But, Kaede still hadn't decided if her treatment was one that anyone else could live through. It had been a hail Mary attempt to save the young girl's life, by her hysterical, and usually so calm and collected, grandparent and guardian.

The next are the two rushed through was the small clearing with a prayer part of the Temple. It was an oddly even part of the grounds, resembling a normal Shinto shrine. Kaede was mostly tasked with keeping it in order and clean. She swept the stones every morning and pulled out weeds every week. The shrine was kept in good condition, as well, always full of all the necessary prayer items. Villagers came, once in a while, to pay their respects to the old mountain God there, and hope for their health and prosperity. Also, there was a box in the corner, where they could leave their donations for the Temple. Though, most of them simply brought local produce up to the doors of the healing and living quarters up top. Kōji and Kaede passed the tall red Torii gate at the entrance of the area, when the girl turned to the boy.

"I'm going to rush ahead, Kōji-kun," she told him. "It'll be faster that way. Come at your own pace." And then, Kaede used her kunoichi training for the second time in a long while. She molded her chakra, feeling it rush through her body like a familiar river of fire and energy. Then, she allowed herself to fly forwards.

The scents of the plants, the heaviness of the damp mist and the tight air of the Temple grounds, influenced by the altitude of the mountain became mere inconveniences. One breath and she was halfway down the mountain. One more and she had stepped on the last stone slab of the narrow winding path. With the next breath, Kaede's chakra infused toes rattled the planks of the walkways which made up the village streets. She easily navigated herself towards Sho's house, not bothering to knock before she burst in.

"Kaede, good, you're here," Saeko was already elbow-deep in blood, working on cutting through the boy's leg right below the knee. Kaede spotted the parents of the poor boy at their kitchen table, the mother sobbing uncontrollably into the father's chest. The man looked to be in shock, his eyes fixed on his child's limp form, covered in blood. Kaede closed the door and quickly joined her teacher.

"Where do you need me?" She asked, disinfecting her hands.

"Stop the bleeding gradually, as the saw goes through the flesh," Saeko instructed. "Did you bring some AB positive blood?" Kaede shook her head.

"Kōji-kun couldn't recall the blood type, I brought O negative." The healer nodded, then furrowed her brow, looking at the tourniquets she'd applied.

"Tighten the tourniquet below the knee," she ordered and Kaede paused in preparing the blood transfusion in order to do so. "We're going to cut it in one go." The girl nodded and the saw moved again, without any hesitation.

* * *

Mei groaned, leaning onto Kiba shamelessly in her bliss. She was so full. It was such a nice feeling, after going semi hungry for a while. She was beyond elated with the small cafeteria that the Konoha shinobi had organized for them, even though it had been only curry and rice for dinner, which they'd caught after the time for cooking had passed.

"I'm so full I don't think I can stand," Kiba groaned, leaning on the girl, as well.

"You can say that again," Mei grinned. "You Konoha people sure know how to cook." Kiba laughed, nodding.

"Food's always good here," he agreed. "Ah, we need to take some to the others, too." He pulled away from Mei, her body following his in hopes of leaning on him still. He managed to catch her before she could drop to the floor, though. "Woah, can you sit up?"

"Mmmm, no," Mei mumbled, letting him hold her shamelessly. "Carry me?" Her head dropped back, looking at the boy upside down. Kiba couldn't help his cheeks reddening at the request.

"As if!" He moved his hands away, the girl scrambling for a second in order to find purchase.

"So mean!" Mei complained, but she got up to help him stack the four plates full of food. "Here, these should help." She found some trays and handed them to him. They carefully placed the plates on top and grabbed some cutlery for their teammates. "Ah, we need some chili for Sen-chan, he always wants the spicy stuff."

"Here," Kiba tossed a shaker full of red powder to her and Mei balanced it on her tray expertly. "Shall we?" With a nod, Mei followed him. They walked out of the cafeteria and headed for the hallway they'd come from earlier.

"What do you think will be the next stage of the exam?" Mei asked conversationally, tilting her head.

"Ah, probably some kind of fights," Kiba mused. "I mean, we've already had information gathering and delivery missions. Now, it's time to show off our skills, right?" Mei grumbled at that, remembering that her sensei had clearly told them not to show off during battles. It was going to be troublesome during carefully monitored one on one battles.

"I don't look forward to that," she admitted.

"Eh?! Why?" Kiba asked incredulously. "You're surely not going to lose?" Mei giggled at that.

"My skills aren't suited for combat," she shrugged. "I'm more of the trap or support kind of person. Sen-chan and Norio-chan are the ones who handle the heavy lifting."

"Ah, like Hinata, then?" Kiba asked. Mei wasn't sure if she agreed with that. Surely, Hinata seemed like she did best with supporting her teammates. However, there was a hidden fire in the girl which Mei had noticed. She would do well in head-on clashes, if she simply forwent her gentle nature.

"I suppose you could say that," Mei replied. "I hope I'll get an easy match-up!" She giggled. That's when the two noticed a shinobi walking their way. It was the Suna boy, covered from head to toe in black.

"Is the cafeteria still open?" He asked them rather pleasantly, ignoring Kiba's on-guard look and Mei's bright smile. The girl had been taught, by Norio, that an unassuming expression always fetched a better reaction from her enemy, rather than always being on-guard.

"Ah, yes," the Kiri kunoichi replied in a conversational tone. "They're not cooking anymore, or taking requests, but you can still grab some food."

"I see, thanks," the boy waved as he passed them. Kiba grumbled under his breath, looking behind them at the shinobi.

"He puts me on edge somehow," the boy admitted.

"You're not alone there," Mei replied. "The Suna bunch sure are rather shifty," she said in a pensive tone. "I'd rather not clash with them unless I have to."

"You can say that again," Kiba nodded. "Especially with that redhead. He's dangerous." Finally, the door of the room where they'd left their teammates came into view.

* * *

Over the next two days, the Konoha and Kiri teams got to know each other even better. As other groups of shinobi arrived, they preferred to stick to their own odd group of six, in the same room where they'd initially met. For a while, a team from Takigakure joined them, on their own bench, but they wandered off within a few hours. Luckily, the Suna shinobi hadn't come to bother them even once.

Over those hours spent together, Tsubaki and Shino formed some kind of a weird friendship that circulated around discussing hypotheticals and philosophical questions regarding various shinobi. Mei and Kiba preferred to chat and play games, especially when they discovered that Hinata had brought a pack of Uno with her. Though, they had a weird way of playing Uno, asking for numbers like in Go Fish, which made the rest of the group quite irritated at them. They were also the ones who held all the +4 cards, all the time, somehow, filling the poor Norio's hands with cards whenever they were given the chance. Hinata was left mostly going between the chatty company of the two and Norio's silent cleaning of his sword. He's even offered her a couple of tips on wielding a blade, which was rather unusual for him.

The delicate balance was broken on the last day, when another team from Konoha found them in their room. It was the one which contained Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chōji. And, if anything, it made Mei and Kiba even chattier, much to Norio's displeasure. Shikamaru ended up spending the majority of their downtime sleeping, which prompted the rambunctious duo of the group to play pranks on him, which the space and tools available allowed them to. It was on the morning of the fifth day, when the time period allowed for the exam was running out, that the sensei joined them in the waiting areas.

"Brats," Yanomira called out from the door, instantly getting the attention of the Kiri team. "Let's go losers, I have to brief you." The trio said their goodbye, mostly Mei and Tsubaki going around the Konoha shinobi and chatting quickly to each of them. However, Norio did give an odd jerky nod to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.

"Sensei," Tsubaki greeted, the trio following the heavily pregnant woman up a set of stairs that had been closed off to them before. "Have you had a doctor's appointment recently?" The boy asked, making the woman tsk at him.

"Sure, as always," she lied rather transparently, which made the team groan in unison.

"You have to take care of yourself, Yanomira-sensei," Mei scolded.

"Stop lecturing me, you brats!"

* * *

"Would you-" there was a small pause in her words. "Give it a rest!" A sound akin to a bell ringing resounded throughout the Shitchi Temple, the boy whose head had been hit slamming to the ground. Kaede sighed, again. The Temple had descended into a complete and utter state of chaos in a span of mere two days. With the extra healing Saeko and Kaede had been doing on Sho's leg, it was almost completely healed, the stump formed as perfectly as possible. The boy, in turn, had become rather rambunctious. With over five visits already by the village's carpenter, who was fashioning him a band new peg leg, Sho was enjoying every second of the attention he had on him, making trouble wherever he went.

"Saeko-sama!" The boy whined from the floor, staring up at the old healer who had finally snapped. Again. The young child seemed to relish in making her usually composed demeanor chip away bit by bit, until she reverted back to her old, infamous kunoichi rage. That was when she didn't ask questions or accept answers, but simply wreaked havoc herself. "It hurts!" Sho sat on the ground, rubbing his head, his crutches around him.

"Good!" The healer replied, grinning down at the boy menacingly. That was when the cries of a newborn baby interrupted the duo, and the cycle started once more, with Jōichirō's laughter in the background. Kaede snuck away from the scene, entering the daisy room to see their miracle patient in much a similar state.

"Are they done for the day?" He asked, putting down the book he'd been reading. They'd discovered that Nanashi, as they'd come to call him due to his memory loss, was a rather avid reader and enjoyed anything and everything that they tossed his way. He'd mostly worked through their available library of medical books at the Temple in two days, after all. Kaede had secretly requested a few new books from Kirigakure's own library, this time on various topics, not just medical ones.

"Unlikely," Kaede let out a sigh. As she tidied up around the room, then went to check on the patient's wound, another bout of laughter from Jōichirō and Sho, this time joined by Kōji rang out, followed by Saeko's screams of anger. Kaede shook her head, then stopped, suddenly having an epiphany. "Ne, Nanashi-chan, how do you feel today?" He tilted his head, looking mildly confused.

"Um, good I'd say? Not any different than yesterday?" Kaede snickered at that.

"Then, how about a bit of a walk uphill?" She offered. "I need to get away from this madness and it seems like you'd appreciate having that option, as well." The boy gave her another questioning look, his hand going to his chest.

"I… don't think I'm well enough to walk around yet," he mused. "Not even with all the extra healing you've been doing, I don't think it would hold." But, Kaede simply smiled devilishly at him, which made his cheeks redden.

"I've thought that one through, don't worry," she promised. Then, out of the dresser at the side, she pulled a foldable wheelchair. "This should do it," with a grin, she unfolded it and carefully slid all the gears in place so that it would hold securely. Then, she patted the seat. "I'm going to the medicinal garden at the top of the mountain, it's not a long way and it's wheelchair accessible. Would you like to join me?" When Kaede looked up at the boy, he had a rather eager look on his face.

"Yes, please!" Another one of Saeko's yells rang out in the hallway, as if confirming his resolve.

* * *

 **That's all for now folks!**

 **Small explanation: The boy is given the name Nanashi by the residents of the Shitchi Temple. It literally means 'no name'. It's a common title given to someone who doesn't have a name for some reason, has forgotten it or, in case of death, to an unidentified body, similar to John Doe in America. Hope that his explains the confusion :D**

* * *

 **I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on the chapter!**


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